Nothing To Lose
by Ever The Escapist
Summary: - HIATUS - The journey to the Ground wasn't the last resort. It was carefully planned from the very beginning. When a fault putting the entire Ark in danger occurs, there is only one person who managed to pass the unnecessary test and therefore she is sent along with a hundred delinquents, having the best chance of survival. But will it be enough? (Full summary inside)
1. Prologue

**NOTHING TO LOSE**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the 100 only my OC.

 **Summary:** The journey to the Ground wasn't an impulsive decision nor the last resort. This mission was carefully planned and aimed for from the very beginning. The first chancellor AlexanderRorchack, the most respected scientist of his time, had created a special survival test to carefully select a group of people who will be sent first. The testing has finally begun after eighty years in space, dozens of chosen people began to train for that purpose since their childhood. The only problem was that there was only one person, who managed to pass the test in twenty years. Therefore, when a fault putting the entire Ark in danger occurs - Maybelline Emery is sent along with a hundred delinquents on the Ground, having the best chance of survival. But will it be enough?

* * *

 **Hi, there! :) So, I haven't read the book but I heard that it's very different from the show anyway.**

 **Warning: This isn't gonna be a fluffy romantic story and sometimes it can be quite dark.**

Forms of writing:

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prolog: 101**

* * *

Her eyes were closed. She was imagining his face, trying to memorize every detail. Those green eyes that many considered cold and austere, his arrogant smile. He wasn't a kind person, at least, that's what everyone else thought of him. But… _they_ didn't know him at all. He was kind enough when it mattered, especially when it mattered. And to Maybelline - no matter what happened - Marcus Kane had been and always would be the kindest man in the whole universe.

" _ **Remember what's important. Remember your mission."**_

" _ **I will."**_

" _ **Stay focus. Stay cautious. Don't let them distract you. You don't care about them. Any of them. If anyone gets in your way, you leave them behind. They're nothing but dead weight. Tell me you understand. Promise me."**_

" _ **I understand. I… I'll do my best."**_

" _ **I know you will. You always do."**_

The bickering in the background was disturbing her, clouding her thoughts and annoying her to no end. They were all really nervous due to the suddenness of the drop - some looked excited, some depressed and some were whispering their last prays.

 _To the ground, we now return._

The trained part of her scoffed when she found herself thinking that.

A few of them were glancing at her and she could tell that they recognized her from the broadcast on the Ark. Clarke Griffin kept her eyes on her constantly, frowning in the process. But at least, she didn't dare to speak up and Maybelline supposed for that she could be grateful. For all of their sakes.

 _ **You don't care about them. Any of them.**_

His words rang even stronger in her head when she saw three boys break away from their seats with Finn Collins at the head of all of it. His small expedition in Space had cost the Ark two weeks of priceless oxygen, giving him a nickname, Spacewalker. She didn't plan to say anything, but small Griffin girl did. Maybelline could almost hear Clarke's mother in her lecture, alway so high and mighty all the way up on her pedestal. But her efforts were futile - if those kids knew how to follow orders, they wouldn't have been there.

The ship landed hard and with anticipated yet still unwelcome complications. She quickly scanned the cabin, finding that the two of the three boys who didn't have their seatbelts buckled were already dead. She turned away from the scene.

 _ **You don't care.**_

 _I don't care._

 _98 left._

The bickering started once more, this time louder than ever before. Maybelline didn't pay too much attention to it - not until she overheard one thing that intrigued her enough to listen.

"Why are you wearing guard's uniform?"

She recognized Clarke's voice and gently pushed several children out of the way to see who she was talking to in such an accusatory tone. By the door of the dropship stood a tall, dark-haired boy. Bellamy Blake. Even if Maybelline hadn't read about him in his sister's file, she would have remembered him - his family was quite infamous up on the Ark. But she knew for sure that he wasn't on the list, he shouldn't be there. The dropship was heavily guarded before launching, was it possible that he slipped inside unnoticed?

"Excuse me?" Octavia Blake snapped back at Clarke. "I haven't seen my brother for a year."

Maybelline passed around them, letting it go for now, as she wasn't really interested in petty family drama and had other things to do. Her duty. Maybelline slipped through the crowd and straight towards the monitor, that was set beside the door. She refocused her attention on what it was telling her. The pressure outside seemed all right, the temperature reached 18 °C and she made the safe assumption that nothing seemed too out of the ordinary as she reached out to the screen to press the opening combination.

"Don't do it!" Clarke yelped out and her hand froze in its movements. "The air outside might be toxic!"

Maybelline turned to her, giving her a pointed look of contempt.

"If it's toxic, we're dead anyway," Bellamy Blake responded before Maybelline could.

Clarke gulped, realizing the facts. The chances that they would all die as soon as the door opened weren't high, but they were there anyway, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Certainly not now, there was no turning back.

"Anything else, Miss Griffin?" Maybelline asked her flatly, disinterested.

Some dared to snigger as the blonde's cheeks flushed red, in both embarrassment and anger. Nevertheless, Maybelline didn't wait for an answer, she returned to the monitor and jabbed in the unlocking code. When the bright green of the confirmation glowed on the screen, she slowly placed her hand on the lever and glimpsed back to the others. With Bellamy Blake on board, technically 101 were sent down here with her. That meant 99 were left.

"Take a deep breath," she advised them. "It may well be the last time."

She was surprised to see that some of them actually obeyed. Others stared at her, their eyes filled with bitter resentment. She could hardly blame them for that. Right now, she was the only one who represented the system that got many of their parents floated and them sent into the Skybox. But that was their own doing, right? The system was important and there for a reason… Maybe she did blame them for it. Maybe she blamed the offenders. Maybe she just didn't care.

Maybelline pushed the lever down and the door of the dropship fell open. They were immediately blinded by a golden glow. Several gasps left almost everyone but Maybelline.

The sun. She had imagined that feeling a thousand times, but it was nowhere near the truth. The warm rays fell gently on her skin, soft as a caress. That sensation was priceless. When her initial stupor faded, she looked around to examine their surroundings. They were situated in the middle of the forest. The trees ran up higher than she expected, the grass was greener, the air was thicker, fresh and full of the essence of wood.

"We're back, bitches!" Octavia Blake, who had already rushed out the door, screamed as she threw arms in the air, her voice tearing the silence that had settled at everyone's awe of the outside.

Everybody ran out - rejoicing, dancing, touching the ground, the grass, the leaves, touching everything. Maybelline moved away from them, surveying what was around. Several trees in the area were shattered to pieces as the result of a hard landing and the ship was severely damaged. She didn't even have to climb the iron ladder beside the door to see that the entire telecommunication sphere was gone - torn away. Maybelline sighed and checked her right wrist. The bracelet was working, so at least that was something.

"Maybelline?"

She looked up and towards the source of the voice. Clarke Griffin was heading her way along with the Chancellor son, Wells Jaha, by her side.

 _Are we friends now, Griffin?_

They held what looked like a stack of maps in their hands.

 _Great. I see they wasted no time in snooping around in the dropship._

"We're on the wrong mountain. Look!" Clarke blurted out and shoved the map in front of her face.

Maybelline took it and ran her eyes over it briefly. Clarke, unfortunately, was right. Even from the spot where she stood, she could see through the trees the Mount Weather, which was their original destination. And it wasn't exactly nearby.

"The impact of the atmosphere and turbulences must have pushed us off course," she said evenly, starting to evaluate the situation. "Ten miles, give or take."

"Ten miles to walk through the radiation-soaked forest," Clarke said, frowning. Maybelline didn't respond as she looked back at the blonde, still squinting as the harsh sun she was yet to get used to burned her through her eyes. "Tell me the truth," Clarke persisted, her voice low and grave. "How high are our chances?"

Maybelline folded the map neatly and put it into a pocket of her leather jacket. When she lifted her eyes again, she noticed that some of the other kids began to gather around them, shamelessly listening in on their conversation. In the background, she caught a glimpse of familiar ginger hair. But that… wasn't relevant, she needed to focus right now.

"There are four types of radiation that we should be afraid of. In theory, of course. The first would kill us instantly. The second by the end of the day. The third by the end of the week..." she almost announced so she could be heard by all. Most of them were already there and listening, they might as well have used it to their advantage and get the message out to everybody.

"And the last one?" Wells asked, his tone showing how he wasn't exactly thrilled by the subject and its implications.

"The last one would be shown after several of generations. It would probably create a new degenerated race," Maybelline informed him matter-of-factly.

"Cool," a nearby boy, whom she recognized as Monty Green, exhaled in wonder.

Maybelline looked at him, eyebrows lifted.

"The first symptom for that kind of radiation is black spots showing up on the skin."

As expected, few immediately checked their bare arms, Clarke and Wells included. Maybelline paid them no mind as she tied her long black hair into a ponytail, away from her face, and tightened the belt around her waist with a long knife attached, getting ready for the journey.

"So... where exactly are we?" Wells asked.

"Earth," a deep voice replied. Bellamy Blake apparently decided to join the conversation dripping with sarcasm. Why not? "That's not enough for you, privilege?"

"No," the little Chancellor replied, clearly annoyed. "You heard what my father said in the report. We need to find Mount Weather!"

"Screw your father," jeered Octavia with a smug smile. "What? You think you're in charge here? You, your little princess and the star of the Council?"

Maybelline had joined the Council after she reached the age of consent. Partly because of that she passed the Rorchack test, partly because of her father. So she had been in the Council for a mere year, yet she already managed to rally a fanbase, it seemed.

 _Congratulations to me._

"I'll happily let you be in charge, Octavia," Maybelline told her impassively. Power plays and rebels did nothing to impress her. She was a pragmatist, a survivalist and had more important things to do than fooling around with them. "You have certainly gathered a lot of experience and knowledge spending sixteen years under the floor."

Octavia viciously bared her teeth, her eyes aflame with rage and violently surged toward her. Before reaching Maybelline, her brother grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Octavia, don't."

Maybelline suppressed a smile. There really was no reason for any other unnecessary provocations.

"We have to go at Mount Weather. How long do you think we'll last without supplies?" Clarke interjected, attempting to reason with them.

"This is not the Ark," Bellamy retorted firmly.

"Right, this is not the Ark," Maybelline agreed. "No one will force you to survive." With that, she turned and headed into the woods. She wasn't going to waste any more of her time trying to get the delinquents in line.

"Maybelline, wait! You can't just leave them here!" Clarke exclaimed, her voice reaching a high screech as she hale-heartedly followed after her.

Maybelline halted, looking straight into her eyes.

 _ **You don't care about them.**_

"I don't care about them," she echoed. "They wanna die here? That's fine by me, not my problem. Don't tell me what I can or can't do." And without sparing another breath on the princess, she walked away.

"Let the privileged ones do the hard work for once!" she heard Bellamy yell in exuberance.

The crowd of children around him cheered. Maybelline already knew that the unexpected presence of Bellamy Blake wouldn't be helping the situation. It was not an ideal start - but ideals were not what Maybelline was trained for.


	2. Personal Things Suck

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Forms of writing:

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Personal Things Suck**

* * *

In the end, there were six who followed Maybelline into her trek. Sure, she expected some to join her, but this particular 'group' wasn't exactly what she had in mind. The princess she obviously saw coming; Clarke Griffin wasn't known for sitting on her heels and letting others take charge. But the Spacewalker, the girl from under the floor and the two boys who liked some certain herbs a little too much? Not really.

Clarke Griffin, Finn Collins, Octavia Blake, Jasper Jordan, Monty Green. Maybelline knew them all. She had studied their files weeks before the scheduled drop, she had to know their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, she knew almost everything about them and they knew absolutely nothing about her, which suited her just fine. It was important for her to know what she was dealing with a that's how it was. Well, not exactly.

There was a one person that she didn't know almost nothing about, and that was because he wasn't supposed to be on the dropship in the first place. Bellamy Blake.

"So? Why did you join us?" Clarke asked, narrowing her eyes at the Spacewalker.

"Are you asking me why I followed a girl with a katana? How could I ever miss this?" Finn said in a teasing tone, clearly trying to coax something out of her.

"It's not a katana," Jasper corrected him knowingly.

"Yeah, technically, it's a machete," added Monty.

"Can she even use it?" Octavia murmured, probably annoyed that the conversation wasn't revolving around her.

 _Do they seriously believe that I can't hear them?_

"You joking, right? She passed the Rorchack test!" Jasper said excitedly.

"What? What kind of test?"

Maybelline detected the hint of uncertainty in the Blake girl's voice now that she was clearly unaware of something everyone on the Ark knew about. It turned out that she was right - Octavia knew nothing at all.

However, Jasper seemed more than happy to explain it all to her, which gave Maybelline a rare insight about how much the public themselves knew about the test. And it didn't seem to be exactly extensive. Jasper was mainly talking about survival skill such as combat, weapons, physical abilities, reflex tests, strategical and logical reasoning. He probably had no idea that was only half of the examination, since the rest was mainly contained by psychological exam. Maybelline also highly doubted, that anyone of them knew that the test was five continuous days. But it's not like they were actually supposed to know that, since every participant that ever attempted the assessment had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. They couldn't talk about anything to do with it.

"I wonder why we were sent here," Monty puzzled over, breaking her thoughts. "Why now?"

"Why don't you ask the Little One?" Finn suggested playfully. "She definitely knows."

The awkward silence let Maybelline know that the young Green definitely wasn't about to do that.

Wait.

Did Collins really just called her a "Little one"? Those kids have no respect at all, it wasn't a shock they were criminals.

"Maybe they saw something on the satellite," Jasper suggested.

"No satellite. The Ark is dying," Clarke said with a stern voice.

Maybelline stopped in the place, turning her head at her. _Are you serious?_

"With the current population, they have oxygen for the next three months. Four since we're now gone." She rambled on and then she noticed the sharp glare Maybelline sent her way, the one that tried to tell her to shut her mouth. "They have a _right_ to know. This is not the Ark, remember?" Clarke contested sourly.

Maybelline rolled her eyes. Clarke was an accurate reflection of her father, and she had her mother's obnoxious assertiveness as a bonus. She probably couldn't wait to reveal to the others why the Council held her eight months under the lock. Maybelline decided not to say anything because having an argument about rights of young criminals with Griffin was just a waste of energy and time.

"Does that mean they'll kill more people?" Jasper asked anxiously.

For some reason the question was directed right at her. The boy with funny googles on the forehead was looking at her with his big chocolate eyes and it was impossible to look away. Maybelline had met Jasper before, many years ago, and the circumstances weren't exactly… joyous. But she knew as soon as they locked eyes on the dropship - Jasper didn't remember anything. And maybe that was for the best.

"Hopefully they won't have to," Maybelline replied calmly.

"Who cares?" Octavia sneered with acidic words, pushing her way to the front of the group. "They deserve to get floated, every one of them!"

"You can't mean that!" Jasper's eyes widened in horror.

"Don't make a scene, Octavia," Maybelline told her indifferently. "We knew from the beginning that the Ark was never the final solution. One child per family didn't just make sense, it was _safer_ for everyone. Your mother, however, decided that she wanted to have a little girl as well and she paid for her decision. End of story."

Maybelline knew that it was a cold thing to say knowing full well of Octavia's mother's fate. But the words were true and it wasn't her obligation to care about the girl's feelings. Octavia's fist clenched tightly and her eyes were filled with lightning.

"I spent sixteen years in a hole under the floor!" she snarled fiercely.

"And who put you there?" Maybelline countered without missing a beat, and everyone knew what the answer was. That was probably the last drop for little Blake.

"You wanna have a go at me?!" Octavia shrieked, but Clarke stepped between them as a barrier before the brunette could begin anything.

"Stop it! This isn't why we're here!" The infinite moralist said.

Octavia glowered at Maybelline and her eyes were cutting, but then just scoffed, stepping down.

"As you command, princess," she said sarcastically to Clarke and stormed off. Jasper quickly tailed after her like a lost puppy. Maybelline just shook her head and started walking again.

This time, Finn caught up with her, twisting around so that he could face her, not even stumbling as he began walking backwards.

„Damn, that was quite cold," he said, frowning.

Maybelline said nothing, staring straight ahead.

"I have a question," Spacewalker continued on, a little more lightly.

Maybelline still said nothing, but that didn't seem to discourage him as he moved to walk back beside her.

"If we were sent here to die-" he started.

"The Ark didn't send us here to die," Clarke cut in to correct him, her perpetual frown back distorting her face.

Maybelline caught herself thinking about how unhappy the princess looked all the time without even realizing she had just taken to the ridiculous given nickname.

"It's rude to listen in on someone else's conversation, princess," Finn admonished her with a smile. "And yes, they did. Look around. They didn't even give us _water_!"

 _Actually, they did. You should look harder._

"I'm telling you - they weren't betting on us."

Clarke's frown deepened.

"We're their only chance!" she argued in return.

"Are we?" Spacewalker titled his head mockingly.

Clarke just shook her head, irritated by his cockiness.

"Forget it."

Finn sighed.

"Seriously… do you two even smile? Can you?"

"Octavia?" Monty suddenly asked, surprised.

They all turned their head where he was looking and saw Blake, standing at the edge of a stone. Without pants. She gave them a smug look a then jumped right into a water below. Head first.

 _Jesus Christ, she is stupid._

"What are you doing?!" Monty asked, absolutely horrified. "We can't swim!"

"Relax, buddy, it's shallow. She's standing, see?" Finn patted the boy's shoulder.

"That was so irresponsible!" Clarke folded her arms with a small pout.

"She's awesome," Jasper exhaled while quickly stepping out of his own trousers.

Octavia was in the meantime playing in water, splashing it around blissfully as Maybelline watched her carefully.

 _Hm. The water is apparently not toxic. I can't see a rash on her body, no signs of sores and it look clean. But it was still pretty stupid from her to get in, after all, it's a hundred years since someone was on the Ground and who knows how the radiation affected the animals-_

"Octavia! Get out of the water!" Clarke suddenly cried out, her voice slicing through the air like a knife and piercing all of their ears.

Maybelline looked away from the paddling little Blake, and that was when she saw it. A dark shadow loomed nearby, flowing towards her beneath the surface, getting closer and closer to Octavia with every given second, and it's shape wasn't that of any animal Maybelline had ever studied.

"You're not the Earth Chancellor!" Octavia stuck her tongue at her, ignorant to what was happening.

"Octavia, listen to her!" Finn has also noticed a dark creature and yelled desperately to the brunette in the water.

Hearing the out-of-character panic in Finn's voice, Octavia circled around to face where they were pointing to, but it was too late. The animal quickly tightened its body around her and wrenched her under the water. As the chaos erupted and the children were screaming, Maybelline's hand instinctively slid to the handle of the blade at her side.

 _ **Remember what's important and don't take any chances.**_

His words halted her in her action. It was Octavia's fault. Maybelline had nothing to do with it. Why should she risk her life because of the girl's stupidity? It wasn't-

Before she could finish her thought, a shirtless blur sprinted past her, running into the water. Jasper jumped after Octavia and Maybelline quietly cursed, already on the move. She tore her jacket away and dived in right after him, having only one thought in her mind.

 _I'm surrounded by idiots._

Maybelline propelled herself through the water, and as she opened her eyes, she saw that the creature had pulled Octavia down to the deep depths of the riverbed. Jasper was already down there, clutching Octavia by her arms, trying to pull her out, but the animal - which was enormous and looked like an mutant snake - had clamped its teeth into Octavia's thigh, refusing to let go. Moving in the water was hard, everything was slower and harder to do. Maybelline was taught how to swim, however she never used weapons in the water. But there was always a first time for everything.

She pulled her machete out from her belt and stabbed the sword into the animal's skull as deep and as quickly as the water's resistance would allow her. The blade barely pushed though three centimeters, but it worked. The beast wasn't dead but was injured enough to be scared off, letting Octavia go, and disappearing into darkness of beyond within seconds. Both she and Jasper tugged Octavia up to the surface, and when they emerged, the girl immediately started spluttering up water.

"Oh my Gold!" Jasper gasped, wheezing out the phrase over and over again in utter disbelief. "Oh my God!"

"Son of a bitch!" Octavia grunted, still struggling for air rubbing her eyes. "What the hell was that?!"

They got her onto the bank of the river, where the others awaited anxiously, and Clarke was clutching Octavia's pants like the last rites.

"Are you ok? Is everybody ok?!" Monty blurted out, trying to reassure himself.

"Can't believe you're still alive," Finn exhaled, shaking his head. "That was something else."

"You and me both," Octavia nodded with a strained voice, still pretty shaken. She looked up to Maybelline, who was still holding the knife in her hand. "So you _do_ know how to use that thing," she croaked out with a raised eyebrow, seemingly not having lost her attitude.

 _Ten years of training will do that to you. Also, you're welcome._

"What's that?!" Monty cried out in a high-pitched voice, pointing at Octavia's leg in horror.

And there, on her left thigh, was a bite. Superficial and about the size of a plate.

"She's gonna be okay," Maybelline assured evenly, sliding her blade back into her belt. That water creature had a tough skin… hard and slippery.

"That looks okay to you?" The young Green boy was looking at her in disbelief, eyes wide open.

"She's right," Clarke said in her eloquent voice. "The bite's really shallow."

 _Hello, doctor Griffin. Long time no see._

"I have another question!" Spacewalker declared, a lazy grin on his lips again as he handed Maybelline her jacket back. There were apparently very few things that could shake him. He gave her back her jacket gracefully. "Was that kind of stuff part of your test? Because if so-"

"I'm not allowed to talk about it," Maybelline interrupted him quickly, not even bothering to humor him. She needed to assess the situation. Octavia was hurt, and she would probably slow them down. Not to mention that she was going to need some disinfectant soon otherwise the wound would get worse. "You should go back to the dropship."

Maybelline met Octavia's gaze with fury in her eyes. " _What!?_ "

"And someone should go with you," she added, ignoring the girl's ire. "There's an aid kit in the-"

"I don't care, I'm staying!" she growled, climbing to her feet, with Jasper immediately jumping in to help her up.

"Octavia," Clarke said her name gently. "You're hurt… Maybe you should-"

"I can walk and it doesn't even hurt!" Octavia grunted, shoving Jasper away, surging directly into the woods. "So? What are we waiting for?!" she shouted after them as she continued forward.

Maybelline was watching her, eyebrows lifted.

"Someone should tell her she's walking in the wrong direction," Monty remarked thoughtfully.

"Someone should tell her to put some freaking pants on," Clarke added.

"Are you crazy?" Finn chuckled, and then they amble away to fetch Octavia.

Maybelline was suddenly alone on the bank of the river with Jasper.

"You're pretty brave," Maybelline heard herself say while examining him carefully as he shook the water from his hair.

Jasper's cheeks flushed a little as he smiled with pride. "Wow, thanks," he responded. "I think you-"

"And stupid," she added bluntly.

Jasper was quite taken aback and he blinked at Maybelline.

"Oh…"

 _Yeah. Oh._

Maybelline scoffed, turning her back to him.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again."

She was walking away, silently scolding herself. She shouldn't have told him such a thing. She shouldn't have even _cared_. Was it … personal? Yes, it was and personal was never good. In fact, personal was horrible.

 _ **Tell me you understand. Promise me.**_

Maybelline bit down on her lip as guilt build up within her. How long have they been on the Ground? Two hours? She couldn't even follow orders for two hours? It was _pathetic_.

"Hey! Are you trying to get rid of us?" Finn called out after her as he and the rest of the group were catching up with her.

His words actually weren't useless as always. She started to entertain the notion, thinking that maybe it was a good idea. After all, this wasn't the first time someone suggested that…

 _ **She was sitting with the rest of them at the round table, it was at least the sixth Council meeting this week. But the launching day was approaching and there was still much to discuss.**_

 _ **"Maybelline should stay with the kids," Abigail Griffin broached, her voice composed but definite. "Or around them."**_

 _ **"The kids are not the priority, Abby," Marcus answered coldly, his arms tight across his chest. "And I disagree. They'll only slow her down."**_

 _ **"There's a possibility that there will be no supplies in Mount Weather when they arrive there," doctor Griffin countered, hostility clear in her eyes as she was looking at her fellow Councilman. „You know those children can't survive on their own in the middle of destroyed Earth, and you're saying that we shouldn't do anything about it?"**_

 _ **"So you're saying that she passed the Rorchack test to babysit some teenage criminals?" Kane chuckled as if her words were completely ridiculous. That was how Council meetings usually went; with Abigail and Marcus barking at each other, Jaha being slowly driven to insanity and the rest of them listening, thinking, occasionally saying something and then voting for who they thought was right, and repeat.**_

 _ **"Deal with the facts, doctor Griffin," Marcus started indifferently, and it was never good when he addressed her this way. "Those kids are merely test subjects."**_

 _ **"My son is one of those 'test subjects' of yours, Kane," the Chancellor spoke up, his voice solemn.**_

 _ **"You can take it personally all you want," Kane just shrugged. "But the truth remains that without the breakdown we wouldn't be sending them anywhere, and most of them would be floated anyway."**_

 _ **Maybelline was trying create her own opinion, but it very hard since she had no idea what the situation would involve. She could hardly imagine how extensive the complications will be, how the children would react, how much they would be able to control, and how they would actually do in the elements.**_

 _ **But if Kane thought that she should-**_

 _ **"We shouldn't be so strict about this because we can't know what'll happen," Jaha said, locking eyes with her. "This is your decision to make, Maybelline. I hope that you would be able to evaluate the situation rationally."**_

 _ **Maybelline nodded, not exactly inspired by his words. She turned to Kane, deep green eyes were watching her as he said:**_

„ _ **I know she'll do the right thing."**_

She probably already knew it at that time. Because Kane said what he said and when he did so, Maybelline usually started to see his point and would end up doing exactly that. And he may have been right again. Maybe she should've gotten away from them as soon as she could. They would probably want to go back once they reached Mount Weather, but the thing was that she wouldn't be going with them. Getting inside the military base was her main priority - they have lost contact with the Ark, and Mount Weather was the only place that migth still have some untouched telecommunication devises.

"I should probably tell you that ignoring me is only going to make it worse for you," Finn's voice broke her out of her thoughts, as he jogged up beside her, smirking and running a hand through his hair. "I don't give up easily, so-"

Maybelline silenced him by lifting up her hand. Something moved behind the trees ahead of them. Except for that snake beast, they haven't seen any other animal at all, but Maybelline wasn't so sure that this was a good sign. After a century of radiation, things were probably not going to be as they should have.

She was ready for anything, as she gripped the handle of her blade, when an animal finally stepped into their field of vision. It was a deer, standing grand and elegant with auburn fur that glimmered under the sun, but most of all, it looked normal. And beautiful. Clarke and Octavia gasped with amazement at the sight and Maybelline herself wasn't too far from that. She was prepared for degenerated monsters, like that snake in the lake, not for this. Finn slowly crept forward, wanting to get a closer look, but a twig snapped under his shoe. Alarmed by the sudden sound, the deer turned its head towards them and Maybelline's heart sank in her chest. The animal had two heads, one of them was small and deformed with eyes that bore a cold, dead stare. It cantered away, taking that horrific image with it and Maybelline straightened. They weren't in a fairytale, it was a dangerous place. She should never forget that.

She took another second, then turned back to the others, and they looked shaken, but okay. Maybelline approached Clarke and rolled up her sleeve - no dark spots. Octavia didn't have any and neither did the others. She put her hand on everybody's forehead, one at a time, to check for their temperatures, all of which felt normal.

"Maybelline?" Clarke asked, her voice small and she was clearly still shocked.

"That doesn't have to mean anything," Maybelline answered after a while. "Just a result of a strong radiation, whose deformations were transferred from generation to generation. The former animals most likely don't exist in their original form anymore, but we already predicted that."

None of them seemed exactly reassured, but it was all that she could give them in that moment.

"Are we going to grow two heads as well?" Jasper gulped, almost joking.

Nobody answered.

xXxXx

"So?"

"I'm not going in the water again, no way in hell!"

"Maybelline?"

"That river shouldn't be here…"

"That's what worries you, Little One? We just saw a deer with two freaking heads!"

"Stop calling me that, Collins."

"Actually... it was a buck."

"Shut up, Monty."

They stood on the bank of the river which crossed along the road to the mountain. Maybe they wouldn't have been so overcautious if it weren't for Octavia's snake incident, so points for her. Almost everything here could kill them, and the water was murky - any creatures that might have lurked below would've been hidden. Maybelline didn't want to take any more chances. Not when they were already so close. It was Spacewalker who found another solution.

"Are you sure it'll hold?" Clarke stared at the vine in Finn's hand doubtfully.

Ever the charmer, with a grin on his lips, Finn drawled, "Don't worry, princess, I'm a true gentleman - I'll go first."

"Tell the snake _bon appétit_ ," the blonde retorted, rolling her eyes.

Maybelline suppressed a sigh as she watched Finn 'professionally' checking the rope was safe to swing across the river on.

"Not that I care," she started dryly. "but-"

"That's right. You don't care," Finn interrupted her with a smug smile. "So just watch how it's done."

Maybelline frowned, realizing how much she actually didn't like Finn Collins. So if he was going to smash his head on the stone, why bother stopping him? She folded her arms, and noticed that Jasper was climbing the stone up towards Finn, muttering a few words under his breath. And suddenly, it was Jasper who was holding the vine in his hands.

"Okay, be ready for mister tough guy here," Finn clasped his palms together, stepping back.

Jasper looked down, his chocolate eyes stopping on Maybelline.

"See you on the other side," he smiled at her - so clear in provocation - and jumped.

Maybelline lost her cool head for just a moment and swore that she going to kill him herself, if he managed to survive the jump. The river was wide, but Jasper somehow made it. He landed hard on his butt, yet happily got up and started cheering for himself. The rest of the group joined in with him, absolutely elated. Pressing her lips into a thin line, Maybelline hoped that his land hurt a lot.

Personal things suck.

 _ **You don't care about them. Any of them.**_

The joy that had surrounded the group abruptly dissolved like a morning mist. Just like it always did. The spear hurtled past them as a blur in the air. Maybelline heard it coming and saw it hit Jasper directly in the middle of his chest. He didn't even cry out, collapsing like a puppet cut off its strings.

"No! No! No!"

"Jas- Jasper!"

"NOO!"

Maybelline didn't hear their screams, it was like time had stopped around her. She grazed her eyes around the surrounding forest, examining for something, anything - but saw nothing. The enemy must have been masked, or far away. However, she knew the approximate direction from where the spear flew in, and she also knew that there was another perfect target and he was standing on the stone above them, visible from anywhere and everywhere.

She hurdled herself into the air, clasping her fingers around Finn's ankles and jerking them violently from beneath him. He tumbled down on his head just as another spear flew through space he stood but a moment before, and they all let out ear-splitting screams.

"Silence! Duck down!" Maybelline ordered harshly.

They obeyed like one man, one unit. Maybelline didn't look back at Jasper as she continued to survey their surroundings, still hidden against the rock that gave them corner. She heard nothing, there were no approaching steps or sudden movements. There could've been just one of them - whoever it was. They were safe in the riverbed. She waved her hand, motioning for them to follow, and they darted down the river. After few seconds they were back in the forest, running for their lives.

Maybelline finally stopped after they were back deep within the thick of the trees. She strained her ears for any sounds that would tell her they were still at threat, but apart from gasps coming from the others, there was an ominous silence. No one was following them.

Maybelline turned around and glanced over the group. Monty was crying, Finn was bleeding, Octavia was shaking hysterically and Clarke stared at her in pure horror.

"We're not alone!" she breathed

 _Thanks for the clarification._

Maybelline pinched the bridge of her nose tightly, closing her eyes, trying to stay focused. The Earth was dangerous, they all knew that. But no one knew about survivals, that shouldn't have been even possible. Yet, there were still humans on the planet or at least, some form of them. Had they been here all that time? How many? Their attacker was using spears, how advanced and skilled were they? Nonetheless it actually didn't matter in that moment - only one thing was important. They knew that they were there. And that applied for both sides.

When Maybelline opened her eyes again, she was looking directly at Spacewalker, who was now sitting on the ground. There was a thin stream of blood trickling down his face from his hair, which caught her attention. She moved to him, examining his wound carefully. He hit himself pretty hard on the rock, but was able to run more than a mile, so that was a good sign.

„Do you feel sick? Lightheaded? Dizzy?" she asked him, her voice calm and quiet.

"Jasper is dead," he exhaled, obviously in shock.

Maybelline turned away from him to assess the others. They all looked on the verge of collapsing. She looked up as if she could somehow find the Ark in the blue sky.

 _It wasn't supposed to be like this… There was supposed to be a group of people like me down here, trained and resilient. What am I gonna do now?_

An unexpected answer suddenly ringed out. A penetrating wail wafted through the woods, it was impossible to miss - the sheer agony and terror of it was vibrating in their ears long after it finished.

"It's Jasper," Monty whispered and it sounded like a prayer.

"He's alive!" Clarke yelled, turning on her heel and dashing after that horrible sound.

Maybelline pulled out her blade.

"Go back to the dropship," she commanded the others and surged after Clarke.

The order didn't stop them. She could clearly hear their steps behind her as they tailed after her. When they arrived, most of them were already half dead; tired and easy targets. But that didn't mattered anymore.

Jasper was gone.

* * *

 **Hello again! :D To be honest, the start of this story would be pretty similar to the original story line, but only for a next few chapters.**

 **I'd like to thank to everyone who favorited and followed! And big thanks to bee-back for a review! :)**

 **Let me know what you think about the chapter and have a nice day!**


	3. A Reality Check

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 just my OC.**

 **Forms of writing:**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **A Reality Check**

* * *

Maybelline

When they returned to the camp a tussle was going on. Or something like that, but it required a chanting crowd, forming a circle. The others immediately went to inspect what was happening, but Maybelline wasn't interested at all, having far more important things in her head.

She hastily got herself into the dropship and headed straight to the hidden drawers. There weren't many things inside, just basic equipment. Water, rope, a lighter, a compass and, what was Maybelline mainly looking for, a first aid kit. However, the kit wasn't as comprehensive as it should have been and had only one dose of morphine in it. Maybelline wondered for a moment whether a kick on the iron wall of the ship would cool her nerves.

How the hell could this happen? Jasper was wounded and kidnapped by survivors - some people on the Ground that the Ark had no idea about. How could they even survive here? She was supposed to be prepared for everything but no one could've seen that coming. Yet there was nothing she could do about it anymore, so she needed to focus back on the main issue. _If_ Jasper was still alive, and _if_ she could somehow succeed in getting him back to the dropship and _if_ he was still viable by the time they arrived, he was going to need more than one dose of morphine. A lot more.

It had been a long time since she had been angry with the Ark's government, a really long time, but now she felt annoyed straight to her core since they most likely didn't give them more morphine on purpose. They wanted to prevent the delinquents getting high rather than give them something that could help them in case someone got hurt. Finn was right, the Ark really wasn't betting on them.

She quickly put everything into the backpack she found, already counting in her head how long it would take to get back and how much time she'd already lost. Her eyes suddenly slipped down on her right wrist, specifically, to the bracelet that almost taunted her. She stopped for a moment, giving in to the two voices quarreling in her head.

The first one was ordering her to immediately stop doing things that weren't her responsibility and head back to Mount Weather, Jasper was most likely already dead anyway. And the other one said nothing, not a word, it only pulled out a memory from her past, like a fresh sheet of paper, and showed her the only thing that could sway her decision.

 _ **Her training began when she was nine years old. Technically, they should have waited one more year, but her father was pushing the Council from all sides until they finally relented. Since then, Maybelline hasn't seen any children that she had known from school, only those who were also selected for the Rorchack test. Every day, they were forced through endless arrays of overwhelming information and grueling physical training. Maybelline hated every single second of it. Once, while she was taking a short break she was allowed once a day, she managed to slip into the another section of the Ark. The corridors there were empty since it was around lunchtime and Maybelline took the opportunity to wander aimlessly until she saw another child.**_

 _ **It was a boy younger than her, with a tousled hair and chocolate eyes. Maybelline stopped in her spot because even from her distance she could tell that something was wrong. He was walking slowly, leaning against the wall of the Ark, and his face was pale, dewy with perspiration. Her mother was a scientist. She taught Maybelline how to behave in such situations because infections were extremely dangerous on the Ark. According to the instructions, she was meant to stay far enough away from him and quickly find an adult. And she was about to do just that, but in the next blink of eyes the boy's legs buckled and he collapsed onto the floor. Maybelline moved instinctively. Pressing the red alarm button on the opposite wall and sitting by the frail boy, she carefully turned him on his side because he appeared to be having trouble breathing.**_

 _ **"Everything will be fine, I promise," she whispered, pushing strands of hair from his face, so she could look into his teary bright eyes. "Just breathe."**_

 _ **Although he looked really sick and absolutely exhausted, he smiled.**_

 _ **"I'm Jasper," he breathed out heavily.**_

 _ **"I am-"**_

"Maybelline?" The voice abruptly yanked her from her memories. Clarke Griffin found her quite quickly, which was bad news for her. "You're going after Jasper?"

Maybelline made her decision as soon as little Griffin asked her. Even though she knew that she should stay focus on her own mission, the situation has changed drastically with other people living on Earth. And they certainly weren't exactly welcoming. She bit her lip once she realized that she couldn't hear Kane's voice in her head anymore, his words were gone. Suddenly, she felt lonely… and guilty. But he wasn't there with her, he didn't have to know and… And she couldn't just leave Jasper.

Despite all that, she looked into Clarke's face and answered her question with a steady voice:

"No."

"We're coming with you," Finn said firmly, apparently not buying her denial. What a shame.

"No."

She didn't even have to turn around to know that both of them were burning a hole into her neck with their glares.

"We want to help you!" Clarke exclaimed. "You have no idea how many Grounders are out there!"

 _Grounders? How original._

"How?" Maybelline turned to them, a meaningful look in her eyes. "How do you want to help in particular?"

She was genuinely interested in their answer. What exactly could they offer? Besides the fact that coming with her would make her more noticeable and vulnerable and she was just likely to stumble over them when they dropped dead.

 _No, thanks._

Finn said nothing, but he pulled out something from his pocket what looked like a knife. But it was actually just a piece of steel fragment from the dropship with a sharp edge.

 _You did hit your head hard, didn't you?_

Maybelline raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Don't hurt yourself with that," she told him dryly.

"You have no idea what I can do with it," the Spacewalker responded, trying to sound really confident.

Maybelline snorted.

" _Please_. All that time on the Ark and you didn't even attend one self-defense class nor any other combat course."

She blinked as she realized something. Sure, Finn was no fighter and not exactly a star athlete, but he had passed the advanced course of tracking in Earth skills, having some of the best results of the year. So actually, he could be helpful. But was it worth it the trouble?

Finn frowned at her, brows furrowed.

"How do you know about-?"

He didn't finish the sentence because Wells burst in as quickly as he could with his bad leg. He had a fresh gash on his face and looked completely frazzled.

"Bellamy Blake has a gun," he blurted out, alarm in his voice and eyes.

"What did you say?" Clarke gasped, twisting around to him.

Maybelline froze. It was so damn hard to stay focused on Jasper when she has just learned something like that. Bellamy freaking Blake. There was a reason why Maybelline hadn't been given a gun on the trip. After all, one hundred child criminals were around, some of them were murderers and nobody wanted to have them killing each other. The Council, however, weren't counting on having the elder Blake in the mix, who _somehow_ got himself on the dropship, _somehow_ was wearing a guard's uniform, and now _somehow_ had a gun. How the hell did he manage to do that? After his mother's death and sister's imprisonment, wasn't he demoted to a janitor or something?

"He wasn't on the list," Clarke told her urgently as if Maybelline didn't already know. "He's twenty-four. How did he get here?"

"I don't care," Maybelline said dismissively, zipping her bag up.

But she did care. Maybe she was trying not to get distracted, but damn, even now with a head full of Jasper and 'Grounders', she couldn't ignore the mystery named Bellamy Blake forever. Not when he was turning out to be a one massive, gun-wielding problem.

"Maybelline, he already convinced over thirty people to take off their bracelets," Clarke continued, her voice getting more and more panicked with every word. "They'll think that we're dying and-"

„The Council isn't made up of idiots, Clarke," Maybelline interrupted her. „The bracelets monitor all vital functions and keep records. Of course that we counted on the fact that some of the offenders would want to take the bracelets off in the name of rebellion and if they do, everything shuts down. The radiation won't kill you in a second." She paused through her tirade, her eyes going hard. „In fact, almost nothing kills you within seconds, you always suffer first," she added darkly.

It seemed that despite the severity of the message, the princess was somehow reassured. But Maybelline wasn't. They were gone barely a day and Bellamy Blake was already taking over the camp. There was an uprising waiting to happen and she didn't want to have anything to do with it. If it wasn't for Jasper, she would have been long gone, bailing on them. They couldn't even last a day without bullying each other and pushing for power, so what were they good for? Blake was likely to become their new leader, although Maybelline had no idea where he was heading with this and why. He was twenty-four, his puberty should be gone by now and not so long ago he himself was a member of Ark's guard. So why was he suddenly willing to risk the lives of everyone on the Ark to be the 'king' of a bunch of teenagers?

"If you go after Jasper, I want to go too," Wells volunteered.

 _Why not? The more the merrier!_

Clarke looked at him coldly.

"You're not going anywhere with us."

 _Wow, what was that about? Oh wait, I don't care._

Maybelline's glance briefly slipped down the Wells' bare wrist, there was a small cut over where his bracelet was supposed to be. Bellamy took down the Prince first. He was smart. It must have made perfect sense to him. Discard the privileged ones first because then there was a better chance of the Ark not landing here. Was it some kind of revenge? Or maybe he just wanted to rule the Earth, she didn't know. Maybelline was just wondering which one of them he had in mind to subdue next - her or Clarke? She clenched her hand into a tight fist.

 _Just try to come for my bracelet. I dare you._

Maybelline shook her head, getting her emotions back in check. She didn't have time for this, not now. But it just so happened that the Earth was inhabited by other people who apparently were not very friendly - the gun could actually come in handy. She needed that gun. And she was going to get that gun from him, one way or another.

xXxXx

Bellamy

He came down here to protect his sister and she nearly died during the first day. Typical.

"I told you to be careful," Bellamy told her sternly while bandaging her leg carefully.

"Well, since the Spacewalker almost smashed his head against a rock and Jasper is probably dead, I would say that I'm doing quite well," Octavia shot back bitterly.

Bellamy looked up to her. She was clearly upset and it was understandable. Nobody had seen the survival of Earth's inhabitants coming after all this time and he was just lucky that the spear struck the boy with googles and not his little sister. But apart of that, he wasn't too worried. There were a lot of them, and there was a strength in numbers. One hundred committed delinquents against a pair of degenerated Grounders? As long as they remained together, they'd be fine.

"You're not leaving this camp," he said uncompromisingly.

"You can't-!" Octavia started to protest wildly, just as he had expected.

"I'm telling you," Bellamy raised his voice. "you're going to stay in this camp! You better not lean on this leg, so you stay where you are."

For a moment, they were exchanging determined stares, but eventually, Octavia scoffed and turned her head away from him. She must have had a really hard time today if she was choosing to give up so easily.

"It's nothing," she muttered stubbornly after a while, folding her arms across her chest. "Maybelline says it won't even leave a scar."

Bellamy's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

 _Maybelline?_

"So what? You and the Chosen One are the best friends now?" He sneered at her. Wasn't Octavia about to rip out every jet black hair off the girl's head before they set off on that wonderful trip?

"Don't be ridiculous, Bell!" Octavia snorted. "Although... she did prove somewhat useful today. I guess," she trailed off quietly.

Bellamy shook his head with a chuckle. "Please…"

It was quite a reality check when he saw Maybelline Emery, the only person who had passed the famous Rorchack test, in the flesh. Yeah, she wasn't exactly as impressive as she might look in the broadcast with motivational music playing in the background. Maybelline didn't look special and she definitely didn't look dangerous. She was just a regular girl, tiny and almost a head shorter than him.

After he saw her, he had no doubts that the whole situation with Rorchack test was inflated - maybe even swayed by a bit of bribery. He wasn't naive enough to believe that it was just an amazing coincidence that the only one who ever passed the test was a daughter of one of the more significant members of the Council.

"There must be a reason why she was sent down with us, right?" Octavia pondered aloud.

Bellamy said nothing because he wasn't entirely sure that she was sent with them. Rather, they were sent with her. And whatever Emery was supposed to do here, she made it clear the first time she recognized them worthy to speak to that it had nothing to do with them, and that she wouldn't care if they starved to death in the process. The Council didn't care about them and she was, after all, a part of the Council. They may as well have been sent them down in separated ships.

"We're going to find Jasper," Clarke Griffin announced decisively, approaching them with the Spacewalker.

Bellamy stood up, giving his hands on his hips.

"You don't have to report me what you do, Griffin, I'm not your dad," he sneered at her, amused.

Clarke gave him a nasty look and it only made his smile wider.

"You're coming with us," Clarke added, pursing her lips.

"If you're not too scared," Finn remarked mockingly.

Bellamy frowned on the Spacewalker.

"And which one of you geniuses got this idea?" he asked sarcastically.

He caught a glimpse of Maybelline Emery walking off the dropship with a bag and stoic expression on her face, as always. There must be more in that dropship than there seemed at the first glance. Someone should definitely look into it.

"You have a gun," Griffin pointed out. "That will come in handy."

Maybelline walked past them without even spare a glance. Bellamy watched her, but it seemed that she couldn't have been interested less in the information about the gun.

"I honestly don't care what comes in handy to you or what doesn't," Bellamy said coldly. "I'm not going to run through the woods chasing a dead kid."

"Why not?" Finn challenged. "We have nothing to worry about, right? The Grounders should worry about us," he echoed his words, trying to imitate his deep voice.

Bellamy began to have a strong feeling that the Spacewalker would be the first one to get a punch in the face from him.

"Bellamy," a voice came from below as Octavia started to tug on his sleeve. "Please, go with them."

Bellamy frowned at her.

"Are you serious?"

"Jasper saved my life, Bell!" his little sister urged. "If there's a chance that he's still alive... They'll have a better chance if you're with them."

He was looking at her a while in disbelief but then sighed.

"Whatever," he muttered, irritated with Octavia putting him on the spot. "But you'll stay put in the camp."

"Fine," Octavia said, offended. Then her face softened, but there was still a fierce glint in her eyes, and she reached for his hand. "And Bell?"

"Hm?"

"If you see some of those sons of bitches with spears, make a colander of them."

xXxXx

Before they finally set out, there was already no sign of the Chosen One. Clarke and Finn sped up, clearly trying to catch her, while Bellamy with Murphy - who decided to join their little group - were holding the back.

"She actually agreed that we're coming with her, right?" Clarke asked, her tone unsure, squinting her eyes as she peered around the woods for a flash of black. "Or did she just nod and run away?"

"Don't worry, princess, she's not far," Spacewalker smiled, running a frivolous hand through his thick mane, his head still bowed down to the ground, inspecting the path underneath closely as they walked.

"And what exactly do you think you are? A prowling dog?" Murphy sneered at him in mockery.

Finn stopped and turned to him with a confident smile.

"I happen to have quite a talent for these things," he boasted. "What you're good for is still a mystery to me."

Clarke grabbed the Spacewalker's arm and yanked him away from Murphy, who had started to pull his makeshift knife out.

"We don't have time for this," she hissed at the two.

"I think we have a lot of time," Bellamy replied airily, a smirk on his lips. "The kid with googles is long dead by now, so we don't have to sprint over to where ever you think his corpse will be like a bunch of idiots."

"Well, you don't have to," Finn retorted, not smiling for once, his comment about Jasper apparently striking nerve in the usually easy going boy. "Give us the gun and you can go back in the camp and continue… plotting or whatever it was you were doing."

„That's an interesting offer," Bellamy leered and his eyes flickered to the blonde girl. He had a great idea. The whole thing could be far easier then he had previously planned, and he didn't have to go to any extremities either, as he had with the Jaha boy. "You want that gun, princess? You can have it." He baited.

Clarke immediately narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Really?"

Bellamy pulled it out of his pocket casually.

"'Course, yeah," he said with a half smile. "Take off your bracelet and it's yours."

She should nod at it, it was a very beneficial offer. The fact that Bellamy wasn't going to keep his part of the bargain was a side thing. And Clarke couldn't do anything to reverse the outcome when it was done - once you took off the bracelet, you can't put it back on.

The blonde pursed her lips and Collins frowned at her in incredulous disbelief.

"You're no really thinking about it, are you? He's obviously bluffing!" The Spacewalker shrieked, and Bellamy couldn't resist rolling his eyes at the boy's whiny voice.

"You saying he's lying?" Murphy asked in a dangerously low and threatening tone, stepping forward aggressively.

"Wow, I'm surprised that you could find the right synonym so easily," Finn snarled bitterly.

"Hey," came a voice from the hillside above them. When they all turned towards tit, they saw a black haired girl leaning against a tree, her arms folded. "Could you be any louder?"

Bellamy looked at her, clenching his jaw.

 _Damn, I almost had her._

"Maybe we should split," Finn suggested, glaring at Murphy. "We'll cover a larger area that way."

"Sure. And what about screaming his name out into the trees while we're at it?" Maybelline retorted sarcastically, turning her back to them as she shook her head disdainfully. It was obvious she didn't find conversations worth her time. "Stay together and keep quiet or return to the dropship," she commanded and continued on her way.

Bellamy didn't stay behind this time. He ran up the hill and followed after her. As soon as he got closer, Maybelline stepped to the side, turning to face him and Bellamy had to smile. She clearly didn't feel comfortable having him behind her where she couldn't see him.

"I'm just curious," he sniped at her. "Since when are _you_ the one who's giving orders?"

Bellamy expected an attack. He expected that she'll pull out her rank, the system, or even the Rorchack test. He expected arguments, cold logic and then, of course, a host of questions for him to answer as to why was he even there and how he got on the ship. What he wasn't expecting was the puzzled look she gave him.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" she said, her dark blue eyes flashing with uncertainty. "Is it not Whatever the hell we want anymore? I'd think you'd be _glad_ that I follow your philosophy."

Bellamy frowned when he saw her lips lift into a smug smile. She seriously got him for a moment, but there was no sign of nervousness now anymore. It was all fake, she was just mocking him.

"What? One day and you're already finding out that your campaign has its flies? Don't sweat it, Rome also wasn't built in a day."

And Bellamy actually realized that he _was_ getting a little carried away with his situation he had created for himself back at the dropship. It was ridiculously easy for him to control young teenagers that unconsciously craved guidance, and it all got to his head a little too quickly. Being the one listening orders his whole life, giving them for a change was intoxicating. He loved the rush having power gave him. And he would never admit it, but she had a point. Whatever the hell we want might've sounded great, but if everyone could do anything, then no actions had consequences, there were no rules. That meant that at some point they'd realize they weren't even obligated to listen to him. A that wouldn't be very good, would it?

But he knew now and he'd figure something out. It was still time and most of them followed what he said just because of his natural authority - whether they knew it or not. Emery was probably so full of herself and thought she was smarter and superior to the rest of them - and _that_ would be her downfall. He already had a small army - what did she have?

She stood there, pretentious, her head tilted and her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him in a way that made it feel more like she was looking down at him. Glancing down at her lips, he saw the smirk was gone and had transformed into a genuine grin at his quietness. Bellamy parted his lips to say something, but Finn, who happened to hear the end bits of the conversation, was faster.

"That's what's called a burn, Blake," he smirked at him, clearly happy with himself, for some reason.

The smile disappeared from Maybelline's face and she gave Collins a look of indifference. It was apparently beneath her level to accept any kind of support. Not that Bellamy really cared, it was actually exactly what he needed. If she was isolated he could easily squash her.

"Move it, we don't have all day," she said and carried on walking ahead.

"You can put that scowls of yours up whenever you like," the Spacewalker chuckled, following after her quickly. "But I saw that - that was a _smile_."

xXxXx

Once they have crossed the river, nobody dared to make a noise. Bellamy, as well as the others, felt the heavy atmosphere that was surrounding them, and that absolute silence around wasn't helping. They were following the trail of Jasper's blood so it wasn't like that was helping to make things more cheerful. And the Spacewalker was actually pretty good, he had a sharp eye and he kept finding more and more droplets to follow that Bellamy himself wouldn't have noticed.

It felt like they were walking forever when they finally heard it - a painful groan pierced through the silence, making them all freeze in their steps.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy asked quietly, looking around in sudden alarm.

"Jasper," Clarke replied, but before she could take another step, Maybelline quickly grabbed her wrist. The blonde shot her a puzzled and slightly annoyed glare. "What are you doing?"

„Stopping you from running in there like a crazy person," Maybelline replied with perfectly calm and even voice that was really starting to get on Bellamy's nerves.

" _He's suffering_ ," Clarke hissed in outrage, indignant as always.

"I can hear that," Maybelline cut her off flatly. "But it could be a trap, so take it _slow_."

At the word "trap" everyone automatically ducked a little and started to looking around, as if they were expecting some arrows being fired at them at any moment. And Bellamy started to regret that he upheld Octavia's wish. He had just come to the conclusion at the camp that the safest place was within the large group and the next second he had gone on a trip with a bunch of idiots trying to get themselves killed for a dead/dying boy?

 _Smart thinking, Blake._

They carefully walked through the tall grass, anxiously listening if they'd hear any other sound apart from Jasper's closing moaning. Then they got themselves on some kind of glade and before them stood a dead looking tree right at the center. And Jasper's limp body was bound onto the trunk. He was shirtless, covered in his own blood, his eyes rolled back in his head upside, his chest slightly moving. He was still alive.

Bellamy has never seen anything like it before. He had been so sure that the kid was done for that seeing him alive - not to mention in the state he was in - shocked him completely. It was bizarre how dead he looked with his pallid skin and grotesque wound, yet was still breathing. As another painful moan broke through his lips, Bellamy automatically moved forward.

"Wait!" he heard Emery exclaimed and that was the last thing he heard before the ground fell beneath his feet.

He desperately reached out into the air and someone's hand caught him at the last second. Her hand. His weight immediately dragged Maybelline down and if it wasn't for Clarke and Finn who jumped at her and pinned her down on the ground with their own bodies, they both would've ended up in the abyss. Bellamy gasped, realizing that he walked right into a trap and didn't have the slightest clue. Glancing down, he saw sharp spears planted beneath him, coated in blood. The Grounders must have known that they'd come for Jasper and they gotten ready for them. Maybe they weren't as primitive as he thought of them. He looked up, meeting Emery's blue eyes. He didn't know if he was more shocked that she actually did something to help him, or angry with himself, that she was able to detect the trap and he wasn't.

"Don't move," she whispered to him firmly, and Bellamy nodded in response, swallowing thickly. He tried as much as he could to remain unmoving, but the way he breathed every breath like it was his last, meant he swung from side to side. It was only slightly, but enough so that he could feel her grip slide down his arms. So, he tried to forget all this was happening, he tried to tune out how she clung onto his arm with both of her small hands, he tried to focusing just on her eyes and most of all, he tried to ignore the horrible fact that Maybelline Emery was the only thing stopping him from certain death.

Biting her lip, she broke their stare and lifted her eyes, examining the surroundings. Bellamy wavered in her clutches when she looked away but soon recovered.

"They were waiting for us," Clarke exhaled, her voice trembling.

"We're so dead," Collins said grimly.

"They're not here," Maybelline told them as if no further explanation was needed. "Put your hand to the plough, Murphy," she instructed the only of their group, who was still standing up and clutching a knife in his hand, ready for attack.

Her words apparently got him out of the shock because he quickly hid his knife and bent down to reach for Bellamy's other hand. They finally hoisted him up after what seemed like an eternity of being suspended there. Getting to his feet, he coughed, hoping Emery wouldn't say anything about what just happened, he was already bitter enough about it.

"They're not here," Maybelline repeated since everyone else was still nervously watching the surrounding forest.

"How can you know?" Murphy asked, looking at her doubtfully.

"We would be dead by now if they were," Maybelline informed him bluntly. "That means that the trap wasn't for us. And there could be more so watch your step."

"What do you mean? Who was it for then?" Finn asked but got no answer.

Bellamy quickly dusted off and tried to put himself back together. It hadn't even been a day since they landed on Earth and both he and Octavia already nearly bit the dust. That's was called what's called an _awesome_ start. When he turned around, Emery was no longer standing next to him. She had already run over to the three and started climbing up towards Jasper, whose moans were quietly fading.

"Wait for me, he'll be heavy!" Finn called at her, trying to quickly get to the tree stepping only on the same spots Maybelline stepped on before. Even Murphy followed them, surprisingly attempting to get the unfortunate boy down.

„What's on his wound? Is it some kind of bandage?" Clarke questioned once they had all caught up to the tree, engrossed in the strange substance masking where Jasper had been hit.

Maybelline said nothing but leaned toward Jasper's chest and sniffed at the sheet that was covering the lesion.

"Um… Little One? What are you doing?" Finn had already climbed up and was regarding her hesitantly.

"They burned his wound, it saved his life," Maybelline remarked without adequately responding to Spacewalker. „The leaf smells really nice. It might be remedial, we might need to find more of it-" She paused, her eyes going distant as if lost in thoughts. Everyone was silent, waiting for her to finish what she was saying. However, after a moment, she moved around to look directly at Clarke. "Where's Monty anyway?"

Clarke was taken off guard by the sudden change of subject just like the others.

"He was really upset, we had to leave him in the dropship," she answered, puzzled.

The black haired girl gave a curt nod, pulling her knife out.

"Let's do this. Slowly and carefully."

All together, they managed to get Jasper on the ground and it was hard to say why, but as he limply laid in the grass, he seemed even more pitiful to Bellamy. He really wasn't giving him much of a chance, he had a hole in his chest after all. He couldn't survive it, they didn't even have a doctor here.

"Take off your jacket," Maybelline suddenly ordered him, breaking him out of his thoughts, causing him to frown at her.

"Why?"

"We have to keep him warm," she explained quickly and almost irritably. "Now."

With an irritated grunt, Bellamy pulled his jacket off, and handed it to Clarke so she could put it Jasper to bleed on.

 _I swear this is the last time I take orders from you._

Something moved in the tall grass behind them and everyone stilled. Bellamy slowly turned, just to see a jet-black animal approaching, looking like what was once a panther, but a lot bigger than it was meant to be and had disfigured head.

"Do not move," Maybelline whispered almost inaudibly.

But Bellamy didn't care for her wannabe smart advice. He wasn't going to just stand there, waiting for a wild beast to maul them to death. Abruptly, he reached behind his back to find his gun, but his fingers grabbed only air. A cold sweat coated his skin when he still couldn't find it, madly patting at the place where it was meant to be.

 _What the hell? Where is it!?_

The animal reacted to his movement, letting out a savage roar, and started running straight at him. Bellamy couldn't do anything so he just held up his hands in a desperate attempt to protect his head and heard a shot at that exact moment. The panther-like creature dropped to the ground, blood trickling down where it had been hit between its eyes.

When Bellamy turned he saw that everyone else was frozen to the ground just the way he was and Maybelline was standing there with his gun in her hand, still pointed ahead. His momentary relief was consumed with rage.

 _How the hell did she get to it?! When?!_

Maybelline was looking straight at him, tucking his gun behind her belt with apparently no intention to return it to him. So not only did she still have her bracelet on; she also had his gun now.

"I guess this is dinner," Maybelline declared in her favorite matter-of-fact kind of voice with not-so-subtle 'you all are welcome' lingering in clear subtext.

* * *

 **I'm so grateful to those who favorited and followed. Also to my wonderful beta!**

 **Hope you liked the chapter and let me know what you think about it. :)**

 **See ya!**


	4. Kinda Like This One

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 just my OC.**

 **Forms of writing:**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Kinda Like This One**

* * *

 _ **You don't care about them.**_

His voice was back, and Maybelline felt relieved, yet somehow even guiltier at the same time. She didn't want to imagine what Kane would have said if he saw what she had done today. Completely bailing on the mission, going to rescue Jasper, and now spending valuable time looking for herbs and sweet-scented leaves in the middle of the night. Saving one at the risk of possibly endangering the lives of thousands of others wasn't exactly his style - he was a 'greater-good' kind of man.

She had to pull it together, she knew. This had started and would end with Jasper. She'd help him, and then get out of there, far away from the rebellious teenagers who were no concern of hers at the slightest…

 _Just no blood poisoning,_ she begged silently.

Maybelline had some basic training, but Jasper's injury was far beyond her capabilities. Nobody taught her how to treat the wound that had been burned out and reached deep into the rib cage. In addition, the Ark didn't give them a proper equipment and Maybelline was all out of herbs - which she'd learned to recognize and identify, and which could help save Jasper's life - she was able to find only one that was little more effective than as a thickener in a broth.

When she returned to the camp, dawn was painting the sky. All the children were holed up inside the dropship, but only a few of them slept. Jasper's loud moaning on the top floor had probably something to do with it. Maybelline quickly climbed up the ladder, only to find Clarke as she was dressing Jasper's wound again.

"What have you done to him?" Maybelline asked, taken aback when she noticed a black trimmings of skin that could hardly be overlooked.

"What do you think what I've done?" Clarke retorted angrily. "I had to cut out the infected flesh!"

"In this non-sterile environment?"

" _He was starting to get worse_!"

As if responding to their argument, Jasper began to squirming around and wailing louder in his ever-increasing pain. Maybelline seated herself next to him and helped Clarke to hold him down. The little blonde was starting to look like her patient herself. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, with dark purple rings under her broken looking blue eyes, and it was clear that she wasn't used to this kind of pressure. She probably wasn't used to any kind of pressure.

"You should take a break," Maybelline suggested to her with a soft tone, surprising even herself.

" _You_ take a break," Clarke retorted glumly, without sparing a glance at her.

"You're really grumpy in the morning," the black haired girl chuckled ruefully, using her left hand to grope in her bag.

"It's morning already?" The blonde asked, looking disconcerted.

Maybelline just nodded, pulling out twenty plate-sized leaves out into the light.

"I found those sweet-scented leaves."

"Good for you," the young doctor shot back sarcastically.

"They'll work better than those bandages," Maybelline replied in equally hostile tone as she started carefully remove Clarke's previous work.

"And why should they?" Clarke frowned deeply, trying to stop her hands. "Because they were used by some spears-throwing Grounders?!"

"He didn't die in their care."

Clarke blinked and stepped back, releasing his hands and begrudgingly letting her change the bandages. Jasper slowly calmed down as she laid the cool leaves on his wound, and he seemed to drift off to sleep. Maybelline wiped cold sweat from his face with a piece of cloth and then looked back at the blonde girl. She stared at the boy's lifeless body with blatant fear clear in her eyes.

"We won't let him die," Maybelline told her firmly. She really needed Clarke to stay motivated. "You won't let him die."

Clarke pursed her lips.

"I'm not a doctor," she whispered softly.

"You're the best chance he's got," Maybelline replied, handing her a bottle with fresh water. "Do you want to take a break?"

"No," she said certainly after taking a big gulp. "I'm not moving away from him until he gets better."

Maybelline nodded, turning back to the trapdoor.

"Finn went to look for you," Clarke added somewhat resignedly.

 _That idiot._

Maybelline didn't have time for the Spacewalker. So whether he get lost or be killed - he was on his own. She went back out onto the ground, determined to find in the ruins of their landing something to boil water in.

It was strange how something so insignificant suddenly mattered to her, and how little she cared about not fulfilling her mission. Maybelline knew that it was difficult for her to get attached to something or someone, but once it happened, she couldn't just give up and walk away. She held on with a tight grip, unyielding, until the end. And in that moment, Jasper Jordan - the goofy boy, whom she met only once before in a life-changing situation that happened a decade ago - was that someone who she couldn't let go of.

It had been so long since Maybelline had felt so adamant about someone… She hadn't felt that sensation since the day when _he_ got locked up in the Skybox. And now it felt like it was really stupid to ignore him, convincing herself that he didn't matter, when it was perfectly clear that she needed him. Because if there was anyone on whom she could rely on, at least, a bit… But could she? After all, twelve months was a long time...

Some would call it a sign when Maybelline suddenly caught a glimpse of red hair in the corner of her eye, on its way out of the camp. But she didn't believe in signs or destiny. Despite that, she instantly headed in that direction with an urgent need to make it all straight again, right there, right now. Or at least she could've if Collins didn't smash right into her while he rushed towards to the dropship.

"Hey!" He smiled at her with ease. "I was just-"

"I heard," Maybelline cut him off, moving back towards the direction he shoved her off, looking for who she was pursuing but… There was no trace of the ginger hair. The black haired girl turned back to him, paying him a frown of malice.

 _Damned Spacewalker._

"You went out there alone after we met Grounders, mutant snakes and panthers?" she asked in a tone that made it clear to him, how much of an idiot she took him for at that moment.

"And you did what?" Finn returned, not missing a beat.

Maybelline didn't even give him the honor of a response. Life was too short to waste it debating with Finn Collins. She walked away from him and through the ruins at the edge of the camp, trying to find something useful.

"Did he stop screaming?" Finn asked warily, walking by her side. "Because he was screaming all night and people are starting to be… aggressive without their sleep and-"

"You confuse me with someone who cares," she silenced him blankly. Really, who had the time to be interested if the children were sleepy? She bent down to pick up a semi-spherical piece of metal, and as she gazed down, something caught her eye in which she was, on the contrary, very interested in.

"Where's your bracelet?"

Something flashed over the Finn's face, something that wasn't like him at all.

"When you left, Bellamy and his crew got that panther. They were giving pieces of meat out to people only after they took of the bracelet," he told her bitterly, kicking at a stone.

"So you conceded?" It was a question but said like a statement.

 _Looks like the infamous Spacewalker isn't as invincible as he seemed._

Finn just shrugged.

"I knew Clarke would never give in…"

So he did it for her. That made much more sense. Even when Maybelline wasn't exactly in some gentlemanly behavior, it was better than if he just gave in to bullying.

"How many?" she asked, eyes already grazing over the crowds, in search of their new apparent dictator.

"About forty…" Finn mumbled, as she continued looking among children, and she didn't have to search long. He was sitting nearby, surrounded by several of his minions, with his black eyes fixed on her in defiance.

Maybelline started walking right towards him.

"You forgot who shot that animal, Dauntless?"

Her sarcastic remark didn't move him in the slightest. With a wry grin, he jumped to his feet, beaming what some would call confidence but she would call arrogance, and she could see, that this was exactly what he was waiting for.

"You forgot whose gun that was, Little One?"

 _Well, definitely not yours._

It was quite annoying how easily Finn's nicknames caught on.

"Speaking of which - I want it back," Bellamy continued on, stepping forward, pointedly looking down on her.

"Oh, of course," Maybelline smiled at him falsely, moving closer towards him. "And when you have it, what? You're gonna force the rest of them to get rid of their bracelets? You're going to shoot those who stand against you?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't give me any ideas," Bellamy said with a smirk, but his eyes were hard and unforgiving. "And anyway - I got the impression that you weren't interested in any of this," he pointed around the camp. "that you don't care about us."

"And I got the impression that down here, there are no rules," Maybelline retorted, loud enough for the other children around them to hear. "So how is it possible that they could get food only if they fulfill your wishes? That sounds like a rule to me."

Bellamy glanced around, apparently not liking what he saw. Because children were whispering to each other and whispers _were_ dangerous. He moved a step closer to her and the look in his dark eyes dark and threatening.

"Careful," he warned in a low voice. "Don't start something you won't have the courage to finish."

Maybelline was looking in his eyes, unimpressed with his cautions.

"You won't get that gun back, Blake," she told him, not willing to budge on the matter. She was _not_ going to compromise with him.

"We'll see about that," Bellamy replied in the same tone.

He wasn't going to back off, she saw that in his eyes. The adamant glint. Bellamy Blake had been _nothing_ but trouble since the minute she saw him on the dropship.

"Don't expect to catch you when you fall next time," Maybelline said icily, then twisted around on her heel and walked away from him. She expected to hear some kind of aloof comment from him, but there was nothing but silence.

She spotted John Murphy, who was surprisingly not bothering anyone at that moment, and walked towards him.

"What did you do with the bones?"

"What?"

"The bones of the panther, Murphy," Maybelline spelled it out slowly for him, as if talking to a young child, which was what the expression on his face equated to. That of a puzzled infant. "Where are they?"

Murphy eyed her.

"Why?" he drawled, apparently determined to waste her time.

Maybelline suppressed a frustrated sigh. Why anyone couldn't just be normal, quiet and do as they were told? Well, those weren't exactly traits that young criminals were known for…

"What? You need to ask Bellamy for permission to tell me?" Maybelline asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing that this was the game to play when it came to boys and their egos.

Murphy snorted, flashing her an annoyed look, and then casually pointed with his finger at the place where Monty and Wells stood. Maybelline didn't even have to ask; when she approached them, the older of the boys raised his head and gave her an explanation:

"We're collecting the bones, so we can make a broth for Jasper."

 _We had exactly the same idea, huh?_

Monty didn't even look up when she came to them. He sifted through the remains of the mutant panther as if it was his life's mission and the clock was ticking. Maybelline noticed that he had uttered few words since his best friend was wounded.

"And do you have anything to put it in?" Maybelline asked, showing them a piece of metal, which she found earlier.

Monty tensed and immediately took the makeshift bowl from her, muttering a quiet 'thanks'.

"And this," Maybelline added, pulling out a handful of herbs and dropping them into the bowl. "Boil them along with it."

Monty just hastily nodded and disappeared. Maybelline watched his back for a moment, observing the crippling worry that seemed to make him curl over in himself, but also the determined way he seemed to push on. Shaking her head, she turned around, ready to go back into the woods to look for other things - anything that might've helped.

"You're gonna leave us, aren't you?" Wells spoke up in a calm voice.

Maybelline blinked, flipping back around to face him and finding deadly serious expression on his face. It was unbelievable how much he looked like his father at that moment.

"Chancellor Jaha, is that you?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

Wells tightened his arms on his chest.

"I'm serious."

 _Me too._

Well, it probably wasn't worth lying when he appeared to have figured it out himself. And she couldn't be sure how much he already knew, he was the Chancellor's son, after all.

"Not until Jasper gets better," she replied evenly.

Wells looked at her with grave eyes. "Why?"

 _Why?_

Maybelline mirthlessly smiled.

"Your father gave me the choice, first one I have been given in a long time, so I decided to use it."

"Wow, so you hate my father too," the boy commented dryly. "What a shocker."

Maybelline wasn't surprised by his attitude. He certainly had had a terrible two days due to the fact that he was Jaha's son, which was making him the least popular person here and easy target too, given his state of health. However she couldn't say that she hated Jaha, even though her relationship with him was complicated... Because she could never forgive him what he did to her mother. Yet she was also grateful to him for what happened to her father.

"You shouldn't have come here, Wells," she divulged. "I hope that you know that now."

"You still didn't answer my question," Wells said stubbornly.

"You aren't my responsibility," Maybelline replied simply. "None of you are. And I have to get to Mount Weather."

"You were attacked on the way there. What if Grounders have Mount Weather now."

"I'll take my chances."

Wells shook his head and sighed.

"You should stay," he advised, turning his back to her. "Things here could get pretty bad if you leave."

Maybelline watched him leaving with a grim thought in her head; that things would probably get much worse if she stayed.

xXxXx

She spent another three hours in the forest before it started raining. The good news was that she found a heath with edible berries and even some mushrooms near the camp. The bad news was that she managed to find only a very few herbs to support Jasper's immune system. And in his current state, even a cold could've killed him.

Almost everyone had ducked out of the rain and into the dropship, so by the time Maybelline returned, the inside was quite crowded. She couldn't help but notice that there was quite a tense atmosphere circling around on the ground floor, which was absurd due to the fact that no one there had a hole in the chest. However Maybelline let it go, quickly climbing up the ladder, closing the trapdoor behind her.

"How is he?" she asked, without adequately looking to anyone who was present.

"Worse," Clarke murmured quietly, hunched over the unconscious boy.

"What do you mean _worse_?" Maybelline frowned. She was… concerned. That made her angry with herself. And they didn't just go through all of that just for Jasper to die anyway.

Clarke stood up in the meantime and wordlessly she put an iron rod through the handle of the door, thus locking it and making it so no one from the other side would be able to enter.

Maybelline watched her blankly.

"What are you doing?"

"Jasper has been screaming almost constantly for two days," Clarke told her, sitting back down. "People are starting to freak out, they're sleep deprived and scared. Bellamy said we had time until the evening. Then…" she trailed off, and hesitated, as though she was unsure of what she was saying.

Maybelline caught her eye, even though Clarke was to avoid it.

"Then what?" she asked flatly, knowing the answer already.

"Then he said he'll kill Jasper himself," Finn explained sourly, an unusual frown on his face as he revealed himself from a dark nook in the wall.

 _Oh, really? When did Bellamy Blake get to decide who lives and who dies?_

Maybelline sat next to Jasper, placed the herbs she had found in the bowl and crushed them together with the edge of her knife. While looking at the unconscious boy in absolute agony, bitterness coursed into her heart and she knew just where to direct it at; Bellamy Blake. Because _maybe_ she should've just let Blake fall. _No_ ; she should've let him fall. But her automatic reflexes were sharp, and she couldn't stop them from taking action before it was already done. If she could've done it again, if she had another chance... Would she have let him go?

Clarke watched with her exhausted eyes while she mixed herbs with water. After a while, her head dropped to the side and she fell asleep. Maybelline noticed that even Monty slept, huddled in the corner. She spent a few minutes forcing the brew down Jasper's throat, and he swallowed some of it thickly, but then he started to choke and his moans intensified.

"For God's sake, why doesn't he die already!" A voice from below yelled angrily.

Maybelline felt how her whole body tensed and she closed her eyes for a moment. More of exclamations of fury followed the first one soon thereafter. She picked up a cloth and began to wipe away the sweat that beaded Jasper's forehead, hoping that he couldn't perceive any of that. What was the saying? _Words are not knives._ Whoever invented it must have been pretty ignorant to the world, because, especially in her own experience, Maybelline knew very well that words were sometimes a thousand times worse.

"It's pretty bad," Finn commented quietly, trying not to wake Monty nor Clarke. But if those disgusting cries hadn't woken them up, his talking hardly would. "Blake's attitude isn't helping. And it's only been two days. Who knows what he'll do with the camp in a week."

She couldn't deny that he was right. But she didn't like where it was all headed. There was a reason why he was saying all of it to her, he wasn't just trying to kill time. Maybelline responded with silence, leaning herself against the cool metal wall. If the situation remained how it was, it wasn't safe to be away from Jasper. Not when the other kids got annoyed when he suffered too loudly...

As if he knew, Jasper stopped groaning for a while. Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes of blissful peace and silence. And then it started again. Drawn out, gritty, piercing and painful to listen to.

"Okay, that's enough!" snapped the outraged voice below them. It was louder than all the others and in a few seconds, there were loud slams on the trapdoor. Clarke woke up with a start, her expression alarmed, and Maybelline realized whose voice it was. John Murphy was trying to get inside.

"I'll end this! Right now! I'll end his suffering, let me in! I'll just kill him!"

No one moved. It seemed that Murphy's words were irking them, yet they chose to ignore them. But Maybelline's patience had just reached its limits. Without a word, she swung to her feet, her knife in her hand.

"What are you doing?" Finn blurted out, scrambling onto his feet, tensing up as he stared at her hand.

"Pull the rod out," she ordered him, her tone severe.

"Maybelline, wait," Clarke protested weakly with sleep in her voice, still drowsy from waking up.

But to everyone's surprise, the Spacewalker didn't hesitate. He walked to the door, which Murphy still frantically pounding, pulled the rod out a shot Maybelline a determined look. When the obstacle disappeared, Murphy opened the door and Maybelline jumped right onto him, falling down to the lower floor. It was a hard fall. For Murphy. She landed on her feet. Then, leaning low, she put the blade to his neck, so close that it touched his skin and the boy froze in place, eyes wide open in shock. Other children quickly formed a circle around them, but neither of them moved forward to help Murphy.

"I take it that you've reconsidered your decision?" Maybelline asked him, voice apathetic. Murphy dutifully nodded, very carefully, so he wouldn't cut himself on her knife.

"I want you to say it," she pushed on, her dark eyes piercing his.

Murphy gulped, his whole body tensed.

"I… changed my mind," he breathed hoarsely, but Maybelline didn't move.

In her life, she's been able to control very few things and she quite liked the new feeling, because she couldn't shake that it was exactly how it should've been. It was the right thing to do. No doubts.

"What the hell is going on here?" a deep voice boomed and most children instantly turned around. They knew the voice, for some reason, they listened to that voice. Without hesitation, they created an aisle, so that Bellamy and his sister could get through.

Maybelline straightened, lifting the blade from the boy's neck.

"Get out of my face," she told him blankly and Murphy quickly scrambled to his feet and angrily pushed through the crowd, savagely shoving those who stood in his way.

"Anyone else?" Maybelline asked, and maybe she was talking to everyone, but she was looking at the older Blake.

She expected his intervention. After all, she took down one of his main companions and he had to keep his face. However Bellamy's expression remained unreadable, and he didn't move, proving once again that Maybelline couldn't ever predict what he was going to do. The leader didn't move so nobody else did.

"I had the feeling that you belonged among those who don't exactly _like_ when someone decides who lives and who dies," Maybelline spoke up loud enough for them all to hear her, paying each of them a contemptuous look. "But if that's not the case and rules no longer apply to you..." she continued evenly, looking back on the older Blake. "If it's _Whatever the hell we want_ , then count me in. The next person, who yells _anything_ or tries to touch that boy will get a knife in their neck." She raised her blade for everyone to see. "Because that's what the hell _I want_."

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. There was an incredible silence in the room despite everything that was happening. Maybelline saw that some of them were nervous, probably wondering about whether she was really going to do what she had promised. Others eyes were darting between her and Bellamy, waiting to see what their great leader would do. And some of them watched her, murder in their eyes, and Maybelline knew she had made herself a lot of new enemies, who, at this point, were carefully planning how to get rid of her. Given that she didn't plan on staying long, she wasn't really worried about that. Once Jasper woke up, she'd let them alone to see how many of them survive Blake's wonderful reign.

Maybelline went back up, leaving the door open - the room needed some fresh air. She took her seat again, leaning against the wall of the ship, ignoring looks from all surrounding her, including Clarke, who seemed to be hesitant to say something. And maybe Maybelline hadn't known her long, but she knew her well enough to know how she'd decide.

"I don't want to say anything," _Oh, please._ "But it looks like you care. A lot."

Maybelline lifted her gaze to her, Clarke's eyes were full of… expectations? As if she was waiting for a denouement, a confession... something. Anything.

"Don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed," Maybelline told her calmly and she meant every word.

Small Griffin was completely puzzled by her statement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not your guard. I'm not your keeper," she told her simply, hoping she'd finally get the message. "I won't be helping you to control rakish teens without a modicum of morality in their body." _And overall, I won't be here much longer._

Whatever was in her face before, maybe even a dash of hope, it was now definitely gone. Clarke was angry, frustrated and for the first time ever, speechless.

"Don't think that you know me," Maybelline continued on with a lighter tone. "I don't care, not really. If you haven't noticed yet, I kinda like this one," she signalized to the injured boy on the floor. "But that starts and ends with him."

There was a pause. Clarke obviously wasn't able to find any words to throw back at her, but her face spoke clearly enough for everyone to read. Whatever the blonde had thought about her, that image shattered right before her eyes and she seemed to find extremely difficult to realize how wrong she was. After a while, she just lay on the floor, turning her back to Maybelline.

"Can't help but wonder what's so special about Jasper," Finn remarked blankly, the subtext of his message was clearly implying something.

Maybelline didn't care what he was thinking. She didn't care what any of them was thinking.

"I guess you'll never know."

 _And I will never forget._

 _ **She was exhausted. Every breath was a struggle, any movement was next to impossible. After some time, she finally managed to lift her lids and open her eyes, and she saw her mother right in front of her.**_

 _ **Her head was bowed down, her face covered with her hands while strands of her auburn hair were tumbling around her knees. She was crying.**_

 _ **And Maybelline finally recognized the white, cold walls of the infirmary.**_

 _ **"Mom," she wheezed heavily, realizing that she had a veil on her mouth, through which was difficult to speak.**_

 _ **But Eliza Emery heard her daughter, lifting her head and looking at her with her reddened eyes. Maybelline watched as the endless grief in dark blue irises changed into a bitter anger.**_

 _ **"I told you a hundred times how important it is to follow the rules, especially when it comes to diseases," the chestnut haired woman gritted, her words full of venom. "Why didn't you listen to me?! WHY?!"**_

 _ **Maybelline's heart started to beat wildly, she couldn't bear it when her mother shouted at her.**_

 _ **"I'm sorry," Maybelline tried to say, but from her mouth came a mere whisper. And with the blink of an eye, Eliza's expression changed. Her lips stretched into a wide smile that scared Maybelline to death.**_

 _ **"I'm proud of you." And when she finished, her blue eyes widened with fear, and her expression changed for the third time in two minutes. She put her hands into her hair, clutching handfuls into fists. "I c-can't do anything! Nothing! I can't! It won't work!"**_

 _ **Maybelline felt her eyes watering with tears. She had already experienced many of her mother's 'states' but it was impossible to get used to. Whenever Eliza came under pressure and was upset, her mood began suddenly change. Maybelline had never seen that she'd change mood so abruptly and more than twice in a row, this was bad.**_

 _ **"It's okay, Mom," Maybelline tried to stay strong despite the tears in her eyes and the illness that was making her weak. "Take a deep breath. Count to ten."**_

 _ **In the next second, Eliza's wide eyes narrowed as they filled with hate. "How dare you tell me what to do, you-" Maybelline blinked and it was gone. That scary look on her mother's face disappeared, replaced by another, full of endless grief.**_

 _ **"I'm so sorry, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Eliza began sobbing again.**_

 _ **"Just breathe, Mom," Maybelline exhaled, her voice trembling, she was still shaken from the incredible amount of resentment that she saw in the eyes of her own mother. "Count."**_

 _ **Eliza's fingers touched her temples and started to rub small circles onto them.**_

 _ **"You're right, you're right," she murmured between deep breaths and then started counting. Loudly and slowly, and when she came to the last digit, she was calm. Tenderly, she looked at her daughter, taking her hand.**_

 _ **"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.**_

 _ **Maybelline sighed in relief when she saw her mother was herself again.**_

 _ **"I'm cold and tired..." she answered honestly.**_

 _ **"Do you remember what happened?" Her mother asked calmly, turning her head to the left. "You wanted to help him."**_

 _ **Maybelline, exerting a great effort, followed her mom's stare to see that the boy with tousled hair from the hallway laid right next to her.**_

 _ **Jasper.**_

 _ **"I got infected from him, didn't I?" the black haired girl asked quietly. You could do something a hundred times correctly. And then, just once, when you mess up - it'll haunt you, no exceptions.**_

 _ **"You did," Eliza replied, her voice hoarse.**_

 _ **"Is he going to be okay?" Maybelline asked anxiously. She felt awful and barely able to move. But even with all that, Jasper seemed to be ten times worse. He had thick dark circles under his eyes, he was white as a sheet and trembling incessantly, even in his sleep.**_

 _ **Her mother leaned toward her, taking her face in her palms and turning her stare back to her. They both had the same dark blue eyes that looked like Earth's oceans, but her mother's were different in that moment.**_

 _ **They were determined.**_

 _ **"They say I can't do anything to stop the progression of your disease, but they're wrong," she assured her, her voice resolute. "You hear me, Maybelline? I won't let you die."**_

"Maybelline, wake up."

Opening her eyes, Maybelline found she was looking directly into the Finn's frightened face.

"I think Jasper stopped breathing."

That woke her _perfectly_. She immediately shifted to the motionless boy on the floor, while Finn raced to wake Clarke.

Maybelline pulled out her knife, placing its blunt side gently on Jasper's upper lip, below his nostrils. The surface blurred. Spacewalker was wrong, the boy was still breathing, albeit weakly. Clarke quickly got herself next to her, putting her fingers onto Jasper's neck.

"It's _weak_ ," she gasped in horror. "Damn! It makes no sense! No fever, his wound's healing!"

Maybelline examined Jasper from head to toe, trying to remember her training. But to recalling some Latin terms was quite hard when she was looking at a lifeless boy so pale, that his face couldn't have a drop of blood in it. Blood.

"He's lost too much blood," Maybelline stated, reaching out for a first aid kit and quickly searching for the necessary equipment.

"Wait, we can't," Clarke wanted to stop her. "We don't know his blood type, it's too dangerous."

"I'm a universal donor," Maybelline retorted without blinking, pulling out a tube meant for transfusion and holding out to hand it to the little Griffin, who was still reluctant. "You got a better idea? Make a decision, Clarke, _right now_."

The little blonde blinked and after a second of thinking she took the tube from Maybelline's hands. She injected its end gently into the nook of Jasper's elbow while Maybelline was taking off her jacket, and flexed her left arm.

"Is this a good idea?" Finn asked uncertainly, but no one was listening to him in that moment.

Maybelline reached out and Clarke gripped her elbow, sliding the long needle into her forearm within seconds.

"Please, make it work," came out of the blonde's mouth unwittingly, a pleading prayer.

"It will," Maybelline nodded, watching as the thick red fluid flowed through the tube directly into Jasper's motionless body.

 _It has to._

xXxXx

The numbness was pretty bad, but Maybelline was able to stay conscious and focused. There was no doubt that transfusion worked; Jasper's heartbeat grew stronger and there was even some color in his cheeks. Clarke watched her closely and, in every other moment, forced her to drink water or eat a few more berries that she had been collected in the forest. Maybelline learned soon enough that it was better to do what she said, that way she would be of her hair for a few minutes instead of stuck in an endless debate of wills with her.

"Should it be taking this long?" Finn turned to Clarke, concerned. "She's getting really pale..."

"I know what I'm doing," the black haired girl said firmly, leaning against the wall a little bit more comfortably.

The Spacewalker did to her the same thing she's been doing to him for the majority of the past two days. He ignored her.

"Clarke?"

"You wanna be helpful?" Maybelline asked before Clarke could answer. The last thing she needed was for doctor Griffin to get insecure and call the thing off. Not when they were so close.

"Get him some fresh air," she gestured towards Monty, who sat in a corner of the room, gnawing on his nails, obviously in a very bad place. "And some clean water."

"Since you asked so nicely," Finn responded with a chuckle and went to Monty to help him on his feet. And in that moment, thunder sounded and shook through the ship.

"And if you get a hit by lightning, don't you dare come back!" Maybelline added resolutely. "We're out of sweet-scented leaves."

Finn and Monty exchanged almost a humored glance.

"I wonder what happens when all of that icy cold blood leaves her body," Spacewalker pondered thoughtfully. "Who knows? Maybe she will sing with us in a few minutes and we can tell each other some personal stories!"

Maybelline's cold stare told him clearly what she thought about his little idea.

"We'll be back in a few minutes," Finn mumbled and they both left.

Maybelline saw Clarke reaching out to her forehead and reflexively caught her hand in the air, ignoring the blonde's deep frown.

"I'm not your patient," she told her flatly.

"You could be in a few moments," Clarke countered, annoyed by her attitude. "When the guys come back, I'll pull the needle out."

Maybelline wanted to retort that wasn't her decision to make, but, in that moment, the edges of her vision were starting to blur and she had to blink to focus again. The stupor fell heavily on her, like a dense fog clouding her mind. She leaned her head against the iron wall, staring up at the ceiling of the ship. If someone had told her before that all of this would happen in two days, she would never have believed them.

She was snatched from her lethargy by Clarke, who abruptly stood up and walked towards the trapdoor.

"Don't even try it, Bellamy!" she snarled at the newcomer in hostility.

Maybelline blinked at the dark stain in front of her, which formed into Bellamy Blake after a while. She couldn't help herself but doubt that him being here now when Finn and Monty were gone, was a coincidence.

"I came here to talk to you rationally - if that's something you're capable of," Blake spoke to them lazily, making it clear that he was going to do everything his own way.

"I won't let you to kill Jasper! You can't do that!" Clarke stood in his way, fists clenched and ready to fight however unequipped she was for it. "This isn't who we are, Bellamy! We'll never be like that!"

Clarke was really trying. But Maybelline couldn't imagine what would have to happen for someone like Bellamy start listening to someone like her.

"And who are we?" Blake's words were belittling as he looked down on Clarke. "Are we the kind of people who waste time trying to squeeze blood from stones?" He jerked his head towards Maybelline, which Clarke overshadowed with her body.

"He'll make it, he's going to survive!"

"That kid's long dead. You're just making him suffer!"

"Clarke," Maybelline spoke up quietly. "Get out of the way."

The blonde turned to her, puzzled.

"But-"

"Now!" Maybelline ordered vigorously. The blond obeyed and stepped aside.

Maybelline pulled out the gun from her belt and aimed it at Bellamy's head while she still remained seated down on the floor and he hovered over her, frozen.

"Wait," Clarke started to protest nervously but didn't move. "Don't-"

"Take one more step," Maybelline told him coldly. "See if I miss."

Bellamy's eyes were generally dark but now they were pitch black. They raged with fury at her counter move, but he didn't want her to know that. His face remained calm, but there was a fire in his glare.

"This isn't over," he promised her in his deep voice, then he twisted around, climbed down the ladder and disappeared.

Maybelline turned to Clarke, who was giving her a disapproving look and when she was done with that, she moved to the door and peering down it, presumably to see whether Finn and Monty were returning.

Maybelline moved closer to Jasper, mopping away his hair from his sweaty face. It was almost unbelievable how little he had changed over that past ten years. He still looked like that kid who had fainted in the hallway. He still was that kid inside.

"You're gonna be okay," Maybelline whispered to him softly. "I don't care that you said, we'll see each other on the other side."

"I didn't mean it like that…" A dry whisper sounded weakly. It came so suddenly and so unexpectedly that Maybelline took a second to realize that it was Jasper who had spoken. She froze in the spot, incredible relief pooling in her heart. His big chocolate coated eyes opened again, after an interminably long time. "I just wanted to sound cool..."

"Jasper!" Monty saw that he was awake and nearly fell from a ladder as he tried to rush over to his best friend. Jasper smiled wearily. He was out of the woods.

* * *

 **Hi! Big to those who followed and reviewed!**

 **bee-back: Thank you so much for your support! :)**

 **LuxSerenity: Thank you for your wonderful comments and don't worry - this will be a slow-burn. :)**

 **Let me know what you think about this chapter and have a great day!**


	5. Quite a Hero

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 just my OC.**

 **Forms of writing:**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Quite a Hero**

* * *

Maybelline

What was going on in Maybelline's head shortly after Jasper woke up:

 _Wow, Jasper got better._

 _He's going to be alright, that's great…_

 _So, Mount Weather._

It was the perfect opportunity to disappear - they were all distracted by Jasper's recovery and wouldn't pay attention to anything else. At least, that's what Maybelline thought.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice behind her queried when she reached the edge of the camp.

Maybelline turned to Clarke, giving her a cold look in response to her imperious tone, but the blonde didn't step back. Instead, she stubbornly folded her arms on her chest.

"You just donated a lot of your blood, you should _rest_ ," she told her firmly.

"I'm fine," Maybelline retorted and in that moment, she really was. Adrenaline and the relief pulsed through her veins due to the fact that her efforts actually paid off and Jasper was awake. Other than some slight fatigue, Maybelline felt alright.

"We're out of leaves, I'll go get some."

"No," came a headstrong reply of the young doctor.

Maybelline raised her eyebrows at her in surprise.

 _I must have misheard that, right?_

"No?" she repeated calmly. "Since when I take orders from you, Griffin?"

Clarke looked at her with an unflinching gaze and unwavering eyes. She took in a breath to say something, but an approaching Finn was faster.

"She meant that we can go get them instead," Spacewalker corrected her smoothly, putting a hand on blonde's shoulder, cheery smile on his face again.

 _Seriously, the guy has ears everywhere._

"Right," Clarke nodded, little more relaxed. "I'm so happy for Jasper that I can't sleep anyway."

Maybelline shrugged, uncaring.

"Suit yourself. It's two miles to the north, the leaves grow on bushes."

She figured out that she would get rid of the nosiest two of the group faster if she just let them do what they wanted.

"Fantastic," Finn beamed, holding out his hand. "But we have to put them somewhere, right?"

Oh, he must have thought what a clever move that was. Take her bag as an insurance that she really wouldn't leave the camp. But he had miscalculated, there was nothing inside it Maybelline couldn't replace. With an unreadable expression, she pulled the bag off her shoulders and handed it over, watching the triumphant look on Finn's face. Amateur.

"I'll go too," Wells volunteered, marching in their direction.

 _Seriously, does nobody have nothing better to do than eavesdrop on conversations?_

"That's really not necessary," Clarke replied evasively.

"I'll go anyway," Jaha insisted, limping forward purposely.

Princess and Spacewalker exchanged glances, Finn just shrugged.

"Don't slow us down," the blonde muttered bitingly before she turned and raced out of the camp perimeter, and into the woods. The two boys quickly followed.

Maybelline watched them disappear into the distance, and as soon as she lost sight of them through the green of the trees, she headed into the forest in the completely opposite direction she had sent them. There was nothing holding her back now.

xXxXx

Maybelline would never admit that Clarke was right. No way in hell. But as her initial determination faded away, the blood loss was becoming quite apparent and after only a few minutes of brisk walking, she became dazed and the trees around her started spinning. For a quick recovery after something like that was food the most important, something with a high content of calories. Maybelline doubted that a few beads of sweet berries would make a big enough difference.

Her body grew heavier and her head dizzier with each step forward, up to the point where it was near pointless to fight it. Once she was about three miles away from the camp, she lay on her back in the thick grass, turning her eyes to the gray sky. It was started to getting late and stars were prickling across the darkness above. But Maybelline watched only one of them, the only one that wouldn't shine. The Ark.

He was there, somewhere inside. Perhaps he was looking in her direction right now. Or maybe he was watching the bracelet signals in the control room, and noticed the drop in blood pressure in her body. Was he nervous? Maybelline was sure that if he was concerned, no one would be able to tell. He would just stand there with a straight back and impenetrable expression, green eyes reserved. He would be completely stoic. She would have given anything to be able to send him a message.

 _I made a wrong turn, but I'm fully on it right now and I won't let you down._

Close by, a twig snapped, cutting through the absolute silence. Maybelline sat up so abruptly, that everything in her vision whirled around and nothing was still, yet the gun she pulled out was pointed in the right direction. Right at the head of Bellamy Blake, for the second time this day. But it didn't seem to wipe the smug smirk off his face.

"Were you following me?" Maybelline's eyes narrowed, she must have been in a worse shape than she thought if she didn't even notice him trailing after her.

"I was," he admitted simply, coming out of the shadows, casually leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"By yourself? That doesn't sound like you _at all_ ," the black haired girl said mockingly. Her eyes quickly scoured the forest, but there was no trace of anyone else.

"You made it farther than I expected," Bellamy shrugged nonchalantly, crossing one leg over the other as he looked down on her. "You were so pale that I guessed you were going to pass out after ten feet."

 _Is that so? That was your plan, huh? In that case, you could just break my bracelet off and took your gun back without the hassle, right? Yeah, I bet you would you like it that way…_

"Go back to camp, Bellamy," Maybelline told him coldly, still aiming the gun up at his head. "Before you run out of luck."

She should've let him fall. She should've let mi die. Bellamy Blake wasn't only arrogant and manipulative, he was smart and calculating too, and he knew how to seize the opportunity when it came, which was dangerous.

"You should finally realize that I don't take orders from you," he told her stonily, folding his arms across his chest, almost defensively. "What you're gonna do, Little One? Shoot me? Don't think so," Blake scoffed derisively, his mouth twisting into a jeer.

 _ **"Some of them could be dangerous," Kane spoke up casually. Maybelline had a feeling that his voice became even more indifferent and distant than usual when he talked about the 100. "If they stand in your way, do what's necessary," he advised, pushing his piece on the glass forward to another square.**_

 _ **"They aren't trained and won't be armed," Maybelline replied cautiously, regarding the board between them. Then she lifted her winning piece and placed it on the final move. "It'll be alright."**_

 _ **Kane raised his eyes from the lost game and looked at her.**_

 _ **"They outnumber you, one to 100," he said, his voice firm. "Don't let them jeopardize the mission, Maybelline." His hand moved over hers gently and squeezed. "Don't let them jeopardize you."**_

"You're not gonna do it," Bellamy's deep voice tore her from her the tender memory and thrust her back into her hard reality. "I think you're actually afraid of me," he added soberly, his dark eyes gleaming.

Maybelline pulled herself up to her feet, suppressing any exhaustion that she felt with iron-cast determination. She smiled at Blake disdainfully.

"There was only one man I've been ever afraid of and he's dead."

Bellamy didn't seem to be moved by that statement. He took a step forward and at that moment, an ominous horn honk thundered through the air.

Maybelline retracted her gun, swiftly searching their surroundings. It was impossible to determine exactly from where the sound came from, but it was presumably from afar. And from the complete opposite direction of the dropship, which was a good sign. But what did it mean? Was it a message? A signal for attack? A warning?

"What the hell was that?" Bellamy breathed, looking for the enemy among the trees as well as she was.

Then they both saw it. It was rolling towards them, a thick fog, venomously yellow in color, accompanied by a silent, sinister hiss. And neither one of them was in the mood to find out what contact with their skin would end like. Wordlessly, they both started to run in the other direction, away from that toxic mist that was quickly expanding, trying to engulf them. It was rushing the two ahead, dangerously approaching, Maybelline could feel it burning on her ankles. She spotted a small hole in a boulder covered with ivy and surged in there with Bellamy right behind her. Once they were inside, they both spun around, waiting to see if the fog broke through the plants and to find out if they sprinted into a deadly trap. Fortunately, the ivy was apparently too thick for the fog to pierce through.

"It won't get inside," Maybelline sighed wearily, glancing around them. The cave was dark and appeared empty, thankfully. It would have been really bad if it was an animal burrow.

As the adrenaline left her body, the malaise returned and began to weaken her from the tips of her fingers. It felt as though her belt was pulling her down and beginning to smother her, so she reached for the buckle to release it.

"Good," Bellamy said and lunged forward.

He grabbed her belt and yanked it off her body, tossing it away. Maybelline immediately reached out for it, but Blake violently pushed her back with his open palm and as he did, the ground beneath her feet disappeared. In the fall, she caught the only thing that was within her reach - Bellamy's jacket - and pulled him down with her.

They fell at least three feet. Maybelline landed hard on her back, receiving a hard blow to the head, it sparkled right before her eyes. And to make it better, Bellamy landed right on top of her, knocking the air from her lungs. Maybelline gasped and in her numbness, it took a moment before she realized that Blake wasn't discouraged from his goal by their sudden drop. He grabbed both her hands in his one and tried to immobilize her with the force of his weight. Maybelline managed to slide out from under him and turn over onto her stomach, only for Blake to forcibly flip her back around. She tried to get her hands out of his grasp, but the strength was leaving her quickly as weariness was overcoming her and Bellamy's grip was steely. Maybelline was writhing, trying to escape and in horror she realized, that a cold panic was slowly consuming her body. That should have never happened, she should never lose her cool head in a situation like that, but now she couldn't do anything about it. Because she knew she wasn't going to win this. She was going to lose.

Bellamy

Bellamy caged her to the ground with his body to stop her from moving, but she only continued resisting. He could feel her clearly running out of energy, it was like fighting with a stubborn child now. It was actually quite funny how easily he managed to get her under control. Yes, perhaps she was a little indisposed because of the blood donation thing, but frankly, would it be any different without it? Bellamy knew it from the start, and there it was proven. She was _nothing_ without her guns or weapons, just another little girl. He really wished Alexander Rorchack could see his champion now.

 _The hope of the Ark, what a joke._

"Stop," Bellamy drawled, annoyed, pulling out his own makeshift knife with his free hand so she could see it. He expected her to calm down a little at the sight, but on the contrary, she seemed to by trying to break free even harder.

"I don't wanna hurt you, so take it easy."

Emery wasn't going to _take it easy_. She was fighting for that bracelet as if it was her life, but Bellamy wouldn't be touched by that. He managed to press both of her wrists to the ground and tried to wedge his knife between the iron bracelet and her skin, though it proved to be quite difficult due to the fact that she wouldn't stop moving.

" _Don't_ ," Maybelline breathed heavily, trying to wrestle her hands from his grasp.

It was even darker in the cave now. The night must have already fallen.

"Shh, it'll just take a second," Bellamy said in his deep voice, feeling that a victory was within reach.

And she finally stopped, giving up, and that was all he needed. He finally managed to wedge there the tip of his knife in, but when he did, his hand unconsciously loosened its grip around her in excitement. That was more than enough for Emery to jerk her left hand out and without missing a beat, punch him in the neck. Bellamy was caught by surprise at that attack; it pushed him backward and off balance, letting go of her entirely and in the next moment he received a strong blow to his face.

Dull pain and bitterness began to spread from his left eye where she hit him, he tried to catch her when she pulled away from under him, but her jacket slipped through his fingers.

 _That bitch!_

Was that a trick? She stopped moving only to make him lose focus? How in the hell could he fall for something like that? Do not underestimate your opponent was probably the most basic rule of the universe, but who could have guessed that she still had enough strength in her to put up a fight?

In the darkness, he was looking for his knife that he dropped, getting ready for a second round. He was so close, but this time, he wouldn't let anything to distract him. Emery was going down and that stupid bracelet off, that was for sure. The cave was pitch dark, but nevertheless, Bellamy saw her shadow of a figure just a few steps away from him, pushed against the furthermost wall she could find. There was no way out, nowhere to run.

He was ready to pounce on her again, but in that moment, he noticed something. A hot, sticky liquid on his fingers. Blood and it certainly wasn't his. Bellamy stopped. Did he cut her during their tussle? And if so, how deep? The wrist area wasn't a safe place.

He lifted his head, trying to catch a glimpse of how much she was bleeding, but without success. This wasn't exactly the best feeling… Yeah, that girl was an obstacle, a problem. She always got in his way, thinking that she was better than everybody else. She definitely had it coming. But Bellamy wasn't ready to have her blood, literally, on his hands. He wasn't ready to have anyone else's blood on his hands after such a short time…

He was listening to her panting for a while, unsure of what to do next.

"Let's call it for now," Bellamy suggested in a gruff voice, trying to sound as indifferent, as she always sounded. "How bad is it?"

Nothing. Dark blue eyes were watching him carefully, but she didn't respond. Bellamy cautiously moved forward and Maybelline instantly lifted her unhurt left hand into the air, her fingers curled around a large rock.

"If you come closer, I'll kill you," she told him quietly, her voice dark and unbending.

"Calm down," Bellamy responded evenly, taken aback by the darkness in her voice.

This was the third time she threatened his life and the first time he actually believed she would go through with it. People are capable of many things, especially if they were cornered. He slipped the knife back into his pocket and raised his hands to show his empty palms.

"There, see? I'm not going to kill you over one dumb bracelet."

Emery moved to get into a more comfortable position, sitting on the floor, not taking her eyes from him for even a second. And as Bellamy's eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he was able to catch a glimpse of the thick blood that flowed down her arm and through her fingers, dripping to the floor. That could be bad.

"But you'll die anyway if you won't do anything about that."

Maybelline chuckled, but it didn't contain even the smallest hint of joy.

"How convenient for you," she remarked.

"Shut up," Bellamy frowned. He didn't care what the situation was, she won't be talking down to him.

He reached into one of the inside pockets of his jacket and found a roll of bandage, which he had found in the dropship, and he carried with him for any time of need. As soon as he stepped closer to her, a stone hit him in the head so hard Bellamy almost couldn't believe that she threw it with her non-dominant hand.

"Shit," he hissed angrily, rubbing the stricken spot.

When he looked up to give her a murderous glare, Maybelline was watching him, already holding a new stone in her outstretched hand.

"Want another?" she casually asked.

"I just wanted to give you this, you psycho," Bellamy growled at her, showing her the dressing tape in his hand.

"Go float yourself, Blake," Maybelline told him coldly. "I don't need your help."

"I'm not doing this for you," Bellamy said in the same tone and threw the bandages onto her lap.

Maybelline blinked and hesitated. Then she let go of her injured forearm, lifting the dressing up. Her blood coated fingers tried to open the packaging, but it was too slippery.

Bellamy was watching her struggle for a while, and then sighed in exasperation, quickly moving to her. He caught her hand, which was quick enough to grip a rock again, and caught the other hand too before it could hit him in the face. He wrapped his fingers around her wound because it began to bleed faster without no pressure on it and looked straight into her deep eyes.

"Are you done?" he asked her with a raised brow. Her answer was an attempt to jerk out of his grasp. "Listen to me, you won't be able to dress the cut without me, so stop being an idiot and just get over it!"

Emery was glaring at him, but since she didn't try again to get out of his clutches again, he took that as her consent. Carefully, Bellamy let go of her left hand and without waiting to see if she'll try to take a swing at him with a stone again, he picked up the roll from her lap and began to bandage her forearm. The cut was long down her skin but didn't seem to be deep, so it didn't appear to be too serious.

"You're… so pathetic," came from her lips softly.

"Shut up," Bellamy growled again and without looking up to her, he made a knot on the bandage.

Once he finished his work, Maybelline leaned forward and with her unhurt hand shoved him away from her with all her strength. Bellamy lost his balance in his crouch and toppled backward.

"Simple 'thank you' would suffice," he muttered with a frown. That girl didn't know what a gratitude was.

Emery scoffed.

"I saved your miserable life and you paid me back by throwing me in a ravine," she said, her voice full of venom. She moved closer to the wall, so she could lean her face on the cold stone. "Thanks, Blake," she added sarcastically.

"I had no idea that there was a ravine," Bellamy retorted carelessly. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"And what was your plan?" Maybelline asked, not letting it go. "Wait until I pass out and attack me while I'm unconscious?"

Bellamy said nothing. Because that's exactly what his plan was. It was just about the art of waiting for the right opportunity. He couldn't risk a direct confrontation, not when she still had his gun. This felt much easier to him…

"You're quite a hero," Maybelline gave him an ironic smile. "So? What are you waiting for?"

"Don't tempt me," Bellamy warned her darkly.

"Go ahead," the black haired girl declared stubbornly, no matter how idiotic that was in her condition. "But I should warn you. You're gonna have to kill me to get that bracelet. And you've never killed anyone, right?"

Bellamy looked away from her. The blood on his fingers was too familiar feeling - it was brining up memories he had suppressed and ignored. He tried to rub the stain away against his pants, but it didn't go away, not completely. It wouldn't fade. He couldn't get rid of it.

"Or have you?" The question sounded in velvety voice with a hidden meaning in the subtext.

Bellamy froze, trying to keep a level head. She couldn't know. Nobody could know, there were no witnesses and he was the last person who boarded on the dropship, so Maybelline was already inside when it happened. He lifted his eyes, finding that all his previous persuasion was empty. Because Emery had the answer written in her eyes.

"You know," he stated quietly.

She just nodded.

"How?"

Maybelline's face was unreadable.

"You wore a guard's uniform, but you haven't been a guard for a while. The gun that you had with you has a magazine for twenty bullets. Two of them were missing after I shot the panther," she was talking calmly as if reciting a speech. "And you were trying too hard ensuring that the Ark would consider us dead, too much for it to be just out of rebellion. You were willing to do almost anything to make sure they would never land here. It took me a while before I realized that you were just _desperate_."

Bellamy lowered his gaze, clutching his hands into fists and clenching his jaw. Emery tricked him again. All this time, he thought that she didn't care. That she was ignoring him, that she was ignoring all of them. But she wasn't, she was watching him and had managed to figure his motivations out.

"Who did you shoot?" Maybelline asked, her voice impassive, but Bellamy noticed how her body tensed. "I want to know."

"Chancellor Jaha."

What he saw on her face surprised him. Because it was there just for a split second, but clear as the sun they were currently denied of. _Relief_.

Why? Who did she think he shot?

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he elaborated. "I wanted to grab the Octavia and run away, but... then I realized that I didn't really want to. I don't want to hide anymore."

"So, you convince a bunch of kids to take off the bracelets," Maybelline stated. "Some of them still have families up there, you know? And no matter what they might think, I'm pretty sure that most of their parents still love them."

Bellamy turned to her, his eyes narrowed.

"Are _you_ accusing me of being insensitive?"

 _She's joking, right?_

Maybelline let out a grim chuckle.

"Not insensitive, just selfish. And quite cruel, actually. Are _you_ going to tell Wells that he doesn't have a dad anymore?" she asked him, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Whatever she tried to achieve with this, Bellamy wasn't getting it. He wasn't going to let any of it touch him.

"I did the right thing," he said firmly, trying to convince himself rather than her. "Jaha was murdering his own people."

"Executing them," Maybelline corrected him. "So, you think you've changed something? That his death meant anything? The new Chancellor had probably been elected by now, someone who will enforce the same laws as Jaha did."

"They're gonna keep killing people for odds and ends," Bellamy spat out furiously. "How can you possibly agree with that?!"

"In order to survive, sacrifices must be made," was the indifferent response.

And it sounded exactly like some line from a book. Bellamy just shook his head. There was no point in being angry or trying to convinced her differently, Maybelline was brainwashed by the Council - just like all the privileged. She grew up in a different part of the Ark, and among the rich, it was very rare that someone got floated…. But that wasn't her case, was it? Bellamy remembered that he had heard it in the broadcast when she passed that stupid test.

"So tell me," he spoke to her wryly. "What had your parents done that they deserved to be removed in the _interest of our survival_?"

Maybelline blinked, but her expression didn't change. Like a perfect mask, it was still on her face.

"My mother used a banned drug at one of her patients," she responded indifferently as if it didn't even concern her, her voice cold and echoing around the cave.

"Yeah, she had it coming," Bellamy snorted sarcastically. "What about your father? What did he do?"

He didn't get an answer. When he turned his head, he didn't meet blue eyes. They were closed. It seemed that Maybelline finally lost her battle with sleep. She laid down, curled up in a corner of the cave, with her black hair pooling around her head.

It was a while before Bellamy dared to move. First, he didn't want to wake her up and second, he couldn't be sure that she wasn't just pretending. After all, this wouldn't be the first time Emery tried to fake something.

Eventually, he moved closer to her, pulling a knife from his pocket. He frowned when he noticed that the fingers of her left hand were firmly locked in around the bracelet, which she was clutching to her heart. Maybelline Emery was stubborn even in her sleep. But he couldn't just back off now, not when she finally lost consciousness.

Bellamy attempted to gently clasp her arm, trying to pull her hand away from the other slowly. But once his fingers grazed her skin, Maybelline's body moved away, reflexively trying to escape his touch. Bellamy wanted to swear so badly. It was clear to him that if he touched her again, she would wake up and their fight will start anew. And honestly, the image of that in his head was making him sick.

He took a moment, wondering whether he could do it any other way, browsing Emery's motionless body on the ground below him. She sighed in her sleep, shifting slightly, and he noticed something that had been hidden before. It must have slipped out from under her shirt during their struggle, but it was a pendant on a chain. Simple, a single silver wing glittered, reflecting non-existing light.

 _ **"I saved your miserable life."**_

Bellamy turned away from her, moving to the other side of the cave, lying down on the cold ground. Maybe she was right, and he did owe her for the last time. But he didn't care, whatever she said - him not using this situation to get that bracelet off was his payment. From now, they were equalized.

* * *

 **Finally! Some Maybelline x Bellamy action! :) As always, thanks to those who followed/favorited/reviewed and let me know what you think about this chapter!**


	6. Four Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 just my OC.**

 **Forms of writing:**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Four Days**

* * *

That morning everything came back to Maybelline slowly. First, she instinctively reached for her right wrist without initially knowing why. The bracelet was still there, like it has been almost every morning of her life. It wasn't clear to her why she was so worried about it, until she remembered the events of the previous night. The bracelet certainly shouldn't have still been on her wrist… That didn't make _any_ sense.

 _Okay… Have I missed something? What the hell happened?_

Maybelline inferred that last night she eventually couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and lost consciousness. Blake had had a perfect chance. One that, she promised to herself, would never present itself again. What reason could he have not to use it?!

Maybelline firmly pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head was killing her and all the hasty thinking wasn't helping out much. She started to suspect that he could have done it just to pissed her off with his unpredictability.

Maybelline put Bellamy's inexplicable motives aside for now - it was time to see the damage that was done in the process. She pulled the sleeve of her jacket up to take a look at the wound on her forearm - the bandage still held, surprisingly. She could distinctly remember Bellamy's fingers on her wrists and noticed that the skin had turned blue around where he had clutched her tightest. Apart from a few other bumps and the deep embarrassment that her own carelessness got her into the terrible situation, she felt alright.

She slowly sat up, and turning her head to the left, and found Bellamy Blake lying next to her on the ground. He was still asleep, his face unusually relaxed and calm and in that moment - he didn't resemble that arrogant and ruthless young man that longed for power. Maybelline noticed dark freckles around his nose, which were actually made him look younger. Almost like a child. Maybelline looked away from him, feeling like she'd spent at least one hundred days on the Earth instead of only four.

She stood up slowly and walked to the gorge from which they had both fallen from. Now that she wasn't blinded by darkness, Maybelline could confirm that it was even higher than she originally thought. It was quite steep, but she expected that it wouldn't be a problem to get back to the top.

"Has the fog cleared?" asked a deep voice behind her.

Maybelline would never admit that he startled her. _Never._ She turned to him, an unimpressed expression on her face.

"There is only one way to find out," she replied evenly.

Bellamy probably thought the same thing because he quickly shrugged off his drowsiness, jumped to his feet and moved over towards the ravine, quickly climbing it up. At first Maybelline was confused why he was in such a hurry, but then she realized.

 _That bastard!_

She hastily pulled herself up after him, but it was already too late. Blake had her belt in his hand and had just pulled out of the gun out of it, which he tucked in his pants. Once Maybelline got up, he tossed the rest of it to her feet.

Maybelline lifted her belt calmly off the ground and tightened it around her waist. She pulled out a rubber band, slanting her long hair into a ponytail, away from her face. And Bellamy Blake was watching her the whole time without movement.

Maybelline knew what was going on. He was waiting for her reaction. He waited to see if they're about to have a little reprise of the night before. She looked at him from head to toe and had to suppress a smile when she saw a faint purple bruise looming over his left eye.

 _How are you going to explain this to your fan club, huh?_

She was so focused on the shadow of the shame that last night cast over her that she didn't even realize that it couldn't have been exactly a breeze for Bellamy either. His ego had to hit the wall pretty hard.

And Maybelline was genuinely thinking about another round as the memory of him pressing her to the ground, making her feel absolutely hopeless, was still vivid in her mind. She was _dying_ to see the look on his face once it would dawn on him that round two wouldn't be as simple - especially when she wasn't exhausted and already on her back. However, she tried to convince herself that this decision was too emotional and it was never good making choices that way. Also, what was the point giving him exactly what he was waiting for?

A few seconds passed, and Blake still didn't move. Maybelline saw that his muscles were as taut as strings, he was probably expecting her to jump him any second now.

The corner of her lips lifted mockingly.

"Are you afraid of me?" she asked, her voice steady.

Bellamy's eyes narrowed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Look, you should be grateful. No matter what the circumstances were - I did you a favor," he told her firmly.

 _Did he actually believe that?_

Maybelline cocked her head.

"And why would you do something like that?"

"To level the score," Bellamy replied indifferently. "Now we're even."

 _Well, I'm not sure. Can saving someone's life be evened out by attacking the rescuer in their weakest moment, and then changing your mind? Apparently according to the philosophy of Bellamy Blake, yes._

"This isn't over," Maybelline promised him the same thing he had promised her too.

She didn't know when or how, but she'd get him for this, that was for sure. Twisting around, Blake shook his head with a snort and gently brushed away the ivy that covered the entrance to the cave. There was no trace of the poisonous mist.

Maybelline's plan remained unchanged. Yes, Bellamy Blake had a gun now, and she wasn't exactly thrilled by that, but she swore herself that she wouldn't get distracted anymore. When she got to Mount Weather, she would surely find some weapons. She watched as the little dictator started walking towards the camp and turned completely in the opposite direction to him.

"I hope that at least few of them thought of hiding in the dropship," Blake commented idly, more to himself than to her.

Has that fog reached to the camp? _No_ , never mind that, no distractions. And exactly at that moment when she had convinced herself that the camp of potentially dead children didn't interest her at all, she remembered something.

 _ **"She meant that we can go instead!"**_

Finn, Clarke and Wells.

She sent them to collect healing leaves. How high was the probability that they were all dead now? High enough. Which meant that the only three people who posed as a moral anchor to the group were gone and all anyone had left was Bellamy Blake. Who now, thanks to her, had a gun.

 _I can't leave it like that, can I?_

Maybelline stifled a sigh, honestly hating herself in that moment. Maybe this was a perfect place for her after all. She was just like the rest of them - irresponsible, unable to follow orders and stay out of other people's business.

"Emery?" he questioned lowly, and she turned to Blake, who was narrowing his eyes at her and pointing off into the distance. "The camp's that way."

Goodness. Did he really think that she was so stupid and couldn't even orient herself? Actually, it didn't matter, who cares what Bellamy Blake thought? The only thing that was important was that he had a gun and not for a long time.

Maybelline and Bellamy spent the way to the camp in a silent competition of who'd get there first.

xXxXx

Maybelline didn't want to lie - when they arrived in the camp and the vast majority of children were visibly still alive, it surprised her. She still couldn't see Finn, Clarke or Wells anywhere, so that wasn't a good sign. But she spied Octavia by the entrance of the dropship, kissing Atom Ford. Bellamy saw that as well.

"Oh, _hell no_ ," he growled angrily, bursting straight towards his sister.

Before he could get himself there, a high-pitched scream cut through the air, and that was only further proof that the day was only about to get better and better. Maybelline, along with many others, moved to the edge of the camp, where the sound came from, right where was Murphy holding one of the girls over an open fire, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hey, Bellamy," he let out excitedly when he saw his leader approaching. "We should suffer a little before we take off the bracelets, don't you think? To make the Ark truly believe that the Earth is killing us…"

Murphy was smarter than he looked.

Maybelline glanced around; there were more than forty children, all watching, but nobody moved to help that girl. And neither did she. Her eyes turned to Blake, waiting for his reaction to this 'wonderful' idea and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was taking great care to not meet her eyes in that moment.

"Let go of her!" Clarke rushed in out of nowhere and abruptly pushed Murphy aside, which was quite impressive for such a small girl. "Have you gone crazy?!" she bellowed furiously, looking around at the others accusingly.

Maybelline couldn't even be glad that the blonde was still alive because the next second Clarke gave her a glare of condemnation. Bellamy Blake got one of those as well.

"You could've stopped that! Why the hell didn't you stop it?!" she snapped at him angrily, absolutely indignant.

"Stop it?" Bellamy chuckled, turning his head to Maybelline. "I'm just getting started here."

Maybelline blinked. What was that, a challenge?

"What happened to your face, Bell?" Octavia asked anxiously, examining her brother carefully.

"I fell," Blake responded quickly, but his invincible aura was gone.

 _Yeah, right on my fist._

"And you," Clarke pointed at her, marching directly to her, her upper lip curled in disgust. "How can you just stand there?!"

 _Me?_

Maybelline had a strong desire to start pointing out everyone else who was around. And what about him, him, her, him, her, him, him, him…

But she got over the urge to make fun of princess and turned to leave without comment. What a surprise it was when Clarke surged forward to grab her elbow and roughly jerking her back.

"You were right, you know?" she said, her tone acid and biting. "Don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed? But even so, I still am."

"My heart _bleeds_ for you," Maybelline replied sarcastically, pulling out from her tight grasp - she had enough bruises already.

She started walking towards the dropship. Maybe she didn't expect to be back here again, but there was no reason why would she couldn't check on Jasper. She climbed up the ladder, only to find an empty blanket lying on the spot where he usually lay. The boy with googles was gone.

"Before you start panicking, Monty took him for a walk around the camp," piped up a voice behind her.

It was Finn. He sat in the corner and sculpted something in a lump of wood with a knife, shavings surrounding him. Maybelline frowned at him. Mostly out of habit, partly due to his own pseudo-clever remark about panicking.

"So you survived that acid fog," she stated blandly.

"Yeah, you must have been worried sick," the Spacewalker sneered at her, pulling up to his feet.

"Definitely."

Maybelline picked up a cup from the floor and turned back toward the trapdoor, but Collins leaped to the side to stand in her path, blocking her was. Uncharacteristically he wasn't smiling, his eyes lowered to her wrists.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his voice almost mournful.

It really started to get on Maybelline's nerves how perceptive this boy was. The long sleeves of her jacket were covering the bruise, hardly an inch of her damaged skin could be seen, but he noticed anyway. Before she could answer, his eyes widened with alarm.

"Where's your gun?"

 _Damned Spacewalker._

"Don't worry about," she told him quietly, tugging the sleeves down.

"I'm allowed to be worried if Bellamy Blake has it now," Finn retorted, frowning deeply.

"You gonna have wrinkles frowning like that, you know?" Maybelline remarked casually in a weak effort to distract him.

Finn's eyes widened even more.

" _Now_ you're joking? This is serious." He reached out to her, but Maybelline avoided his touch. The boy sighed. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"No."

"Fine." He shrugged, holding his hands up in retreat. "But I think you should know that we have found something, like a cover, in the forest. That's where we hid from the fog."

"Sounds like fun," Maybelline said, sincerely glad that they weren't talking about her or the incident with Bellamy freaking Blake.

"Yeah, it probably would have been," Finn nodded, but there were no sparks in his eyes that agreed with his words. "If Clarke hadn't brutally confronted Wells. Because of how, you know... that he told on her father."

That wasn't what happened. She had been there that day when Abby Griffin came to report on her own husband. It was one of her first days on the Council. Maybelline had to be careful so nothing in her expression revealed her knowledge, she needed to stay completely neutral and indifferent, because young Collins was studying her closely. She changed her mind about him completely - this guy was dangerous.

"He didn't, did he?" he asked cautiously, but his tone wise and knowing.

Maybelline blinked, looking puzzled.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied harmlessly.

She tried to go around him, but he grabbed her by the elbow. _Seriously_ , why was everyone touching her today? Maybelline looked up to him annoyed, there was an innocent smile on Finn's face.

"You don't? So let me spell it out for you. Wells Jaha didn't report Jake Griffin to the Council, did he?"

And for the second time, Maybelline realized how much she didn't like Finn Collins. He was nosy, always in other people's business and the worst thing was that he was actually very good at it. It didn't matter how he knew (although Maybelline was sure that he couldn't tell just from her expression) he just knew. And she didn't want to deal with him anymore, she didn't want to deal with anybody, in fact.

"No," she replied simply. This wasn't the Ark. "It was Abigail Griffin."

Finn released her and stepped back, his expression blank. And when she turned around, she saw why. Clarke had just crawled up the ladder and was standing there, her mouth hanging open and her blue eyes wide, already welling up with un-shed tears, in pure shock at what was just uttered.

 _So, I guess she heard me?_

The blonde moved forward slowly.

"What... did you say?" she asked, her lower lip quivered and her voice trebled. Clarke had to know the truth, at least deep down, right?

Maybelline turned back to Finn.

"Would you like to spell it out for her?" she asked levelly and callously.

Without even waiting for an answer, she headed for the trapdoor and left; the only reasonable solution that came to her mind.

xXxXx

Jasper, as it turned out, was easy to find. He was leaning on Monty with his arm around his friend's shoulder while walking circles around the dropship, evidently not daring to go any further just yet. He looked… good. Too well, actually, for someone who had a hole in his chest, some could say. But most of the children there were just as blunt as the other end of an ax.

 _Well, isn't the day after you've almost died in a terrible agony a stunning day for a walk?_

"Would you give us a minute?" Maybelline asked Monty as soon as approached the two.

"Sure," Monty grinned wide, his mood lifted by around 150%, due to the fact that his best friend had survived. He helped lead Jasper over to sit on the trunk near the side of the dropship and then moved to the sail where children stored their picked berries.

Jasper gave her a bright smile, scrunching up his eyes and shutting one because of the intense burning glare of the sun on his face. "How's my hero this morning?" he chirped, trying to sound confident.

Maybelline stepped aside so he wouldn't have to look into the glow, also giving him a look that clearly told him never say anything like that to her again. But otherwise, she graciously decided to ignore it. At first glance, nobody would've known that Jasper was seriously injured, but there was a reason for that, something of no one present there knew about…

"Do you remember anything from that time when you got hit?" Maybelline asked softly.

Jasper's smile faded off his face and he looked down.

"Not really. I felt hands as they moved me and I remember it hurt _a lot_ …" he trailed off in thought, the smile once again returning to his face. "But now I feel amazing."

 _That's just… great._

"I actually wanted to talk about that with you," Maybelline started hesitantly.

"Sure," Jasper said cheerfully. "I'm really grateful for your help, thank you _so_ -"

"Not that," Maybelline stopped him immediately, raising her hand while flickering her eyes around, inspecting the area.

This wasn't a good idea. She shouldn't have been explaining anything to him, but the effects would most likely pass and when he would get worse, it could really scare him. It could also scare Clarke as well, and she might do something stupid... So this was the time for her to evaluate her priorities.

 _ **It permeated her body as toxic mercury. Maybelline felt cold, a severe cold that numbed her body from her fingertips yet burned through her veins. She was almost unable to feel the warm hand resting on her cheek.**_

 _ **"Maybelline, wake up. Open your eyes," a tender and familiar voice whispered.**_

 _ **It took a while before she managed to, but then she could see her mother's face. Eliza was pallid, the lines etched on to her face deeper than before, dark circles sagging under her eyes, but she was still smiling.**_

 _ **"Mom?" she whispered, not even recognizing her own voice.**_

 _ **"I did it, sweetheart. I'll save you, both of you, " Eliza assured, her voice trembling with excitement. "It won't hurt you, it shouldn't. It hadn't worked before, but you're my blood. Naturally generating antibodies should- "**_

 _ **"Mom, what are you talking about?" Maybelline wearily groaned as her mother started to speak too quickly causing her words blur together and make no sense. Was this another of her states? Eliza paused, smiling happily and stroking her daughter's hair.**_

 _ **"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. Everything will be fine. You're gonna make it. You'll pass the test. Your father and I, we couldn't, but you will."**_

 _ **Maybelline was completely confused. Why was her mother talking about the test, it didn't matter now, right?And why did she claim to found a way to save her life, when this sounded like a goodbye?**_

 _ **Eliza pulled up a pendant from her neck, a simple silver wing and pulled it over her head. Then she leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.**_

 _ **"Mom, what-?" Maybelline breathed, confused.**_

 _ **"I love you," Eliza told her gently, pulling out a syringe from the pocket of her white coat that was full of clear liquid. "You're gonna make it."**_

 _ **With those words, she injected the substance into Maybelline's arm slowly, with care. It was as if her mother had ignited a fire right in her blood. Maybelline had no idea that anything could even hurt even more then it already did, but it could, it definitely could. It was there, like an acid, searing her from the inside. Throughout her desperate cries of agony, she heard her mother's voice once more.**_

 _ **"It will be dark for some time now, Maybelline," she intoned, and despite the fact that her voice sounded calm and serene, Eliza seemed more insane to her daughter at that moment than ever before. "But it's always darkest before the dawn."**_

"Can you keep a secret, Jasper?"

The chocolate eyes of a young boy sparkled with interest. Maybelline thought it over for the last time. After all, it wasn't exactly the smartest decision to confide in sixteen year old teenager, moreover when it was someone as goofy as Jasper.

"I'm serious," Maybelline said calmly, trying him to get him realize the gravity of the situation. "If anyone finds out, I could be in real trouble."

"My mouth is zipped," Jasper guarenteed, nodding eagerly. "I swear I won't tell. You can count on me. I owe you at least that!"

Maybelline looked around again. Few children were watching them, but they were all out of earshot. She sat down beside Jasper, wondering how and where to even start. Eventually, she decided not to give him any unnecessarily details.

"You know about the Rorchack test a lot, right?" she queried.

Jasper nodded quickly.

"Everything that was possible to know."

"Still, you missed a few things," Maybelline remarked, trying to regroup her thoughts. "You know, in the interest of the survival of those who would pass the test and actually land on Earth, our team of scientist had invented a special drug. That medicine… let's say it was infused with vitamins and lots of other things, which improved the overall bodily defense systems and metabolism, thus ensuring a better resistance to radioactivity."

His twinkling eyes widened in amazement.

"That's… awesome!" Jasper exhaled raptly. "So all of those who trained on the test got it?"

"Yes," Maybelline lied without blinking. "I'm telling you this because the drug is bound to hemoglobin. And you are now full of my blood."

"Ah," Jasper drawled, nodding, then stopping. "Wait, you're losing me..."

Maybelline suppressed a sigh, biting her lip.

"Your body is full of my blood, which has better defenses, and that's why you feel so good right now," she explained slowly. "When my blood gets out of your system, you won't be… as fresh as you are now. But you don't have to worry, that's normal."

Jasper stilled. His breathing stopped and his face became somewhat strained, his jaw clenching tightly, but he didn't take his eyes off her. His gaze was piercing through her so intensively, that he started to look dangerous.

"Jasper?" Maybelline asked cautiously.

The young boy inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"This…" he started, trying to sound calm and even, "…has made the Rorchack test even _cooler_ than I ever imagined! It's so… impressive that we were able to create something like that! That's just… wow!"

"Don't tell anyone," Maybelline reminded.

"Yeah, sure thing," Jasper nodded gleefully and almost distractedly, grinning at her as his mind exploded. "But it's so great… Were you all donating blood regularly? How many people know about this? And most of all, why didn't _everyone_ get the drug?"

Maybelline looked at him, her stare blank.

 _It would be so much easier if you were an idiot._

"There weren't enough ingredients," she blurted out the first excuse she could think of.

"Oh," Jasper frowned, his mood instantly dropped, feeling dampened by her revelation.

Maybelline rolled her eyes at his reaction. It was time to end the conversation, and so she waved at Monty to come for his friend.

"I rely on your silence, Jasper," she stressed quietly before Green approached. "Don't do anything stupid."

Jasper let his friend to pull him up and then he looked back at her once more and saluted.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Take him to bed, Monty," Maybelline told the other boy passively. "He's obviously feverish."

The boys just exchanged sly glances as they both left. Maybelline sat back on the trunk and put her fingers to her temples, starting to rub them in small slow circles. It started like an uncomfortable metallic hum in her head - everything seemed to get more and more difficult with every second and there was no way out of it. Bellamy Blake attacked her and now had a gun, some of his minions were terrorizing the camp and everyone in it, Finn Collins was sticking his nose everywhere it didn't belong, Maybelline practically snitched out Clarke's mom, so the princess was currently in a state of decay. Jasper knew something now, something that she wasn't supposed to tell him and wasn't sure if she even wanted to. The hum was getting stronger and the pressure in her head was overpowering. What was her plan now?

"Well, look who's scattering classified information in the wind," came to her from above.

If that voice was any different, Maybelline probably would have been terrified. But she recognized the voice immediately, the hum in her head faded away swiftly. Even subconsciously she knew that this voice couldn't mean danger, not even the slightest. Her body tensed in anticipation when she lifted her head and saw the sallow-faced, red-haired boy sitting on one of the turbines of the dropship above her, a sovereign expression gracing his features.

"Good morning to you too, Andrew," she replied, her voice wavering as she felt thrown off balance.

Andrew Carlyle pushed himself off and slid down the side of the ship, nimbly landing on his feet beside her, narrowing his eyes down at her.

"That's all you gonna say?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Maybelline tilted her head to the side.

"What should I say?"

 _What can you say after one whole year?_

" _Four days_ , May," Andrew spoke up again, emphasizing each word, crossing his arms defensively. "You didn't even bother to look at me. Did it cross your mind to talk to me? Ever?"

Maybelline slightly frowned.

 _Oh, so we're on a guilt trip already?_

"You didn't come with me to the Mount Weather."

Andrew's blue eyes widened.

"Who could I? After you said that you don't care about _anyone_ here?!"

"The princess could," Maybelline started listing names. "The Spacewalker could, the girl under the-"

"But I took it personally."

"You take everything personally."

They were staring at each other, it was a battle of will. Both almost as stubborn as the other. Almost. Finally, Maybelline just sighed resignedly and lowered her eyes. Andrew sat down on a trunk next her, she could feel his eyes graze over her, inspecting.

"Tough morning?" he asked perceptively.

"You have _no_ idea," the black haired girl murmured.

"Maybe you should've told the kid the _whole_ story," Andrew remarked knowingly, assuming that her distress was mostly Jasper related. "He wouldn't be _that_ excited then…"

 _ **Maybelline was sure, she was dead. All the agony subsided so suddenly it was as if it was never there to start with. Her body wasn't even aching, and when she moved her fingers, it was so easy, too easy. She couldn't still be alive. She was enjoying that feeling for a moment, just gliding her palm up and down on the smooth surface, she didn't know what was, but who cared? She felt amazing.**_

 _ **"Maybelline?" A deep voice broke her from her little paradise and she opened her eyes quickly. She wasn't dead. She was still in the infirmary. And the one who spoke up to her was sitting on a chair next to her bed.**_

 _ **"Chancellor Jaha?" She was confused, what was he even doing here? His expression was grave.**_

 _ **"Do you remember what happened?" he questioned evenly.**_

 _ **And Maybelline recalled all of that in a second. The boy falling on the floor, her mother, who was going crazy because of fear, and the injection, which sent her to the blazing hell. Slowly, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, noticing that there was a thin tube leading from her arm over onto the bed next to her, the end disappearing into the sleeping Jasper. He looked so much better now.**_

 _ **"My mother saved us both," Maybelline said with a smile. She actually made it. The Chancellor didn't mirror her expression.**_

 _ **"Your mother was part of the team of scientists who developed a special substance that would make us more resistant to the radioactivity of Earth. She and ten other potential candidates for Rorchack test were the first who ever tested the drug. It worked very well but as you might have noticed... there were side effects."**_

 _ **Maybelline was looking at Jaha, puzzled. What was that supposed to mean?**_

 _ **"Why are you telling me this?"**_

 _ **"The changes of moon, which your mother often suffered from, weren't random," the Chancellor continued, without adequately answering her question.**_

 _ **"It had a different side affect on each test subject. Some resulted in schizophrenia, clinical depression, memory loss, chronic insomnia and one of them died. Therefore the drug was immediately strictly prohibited. "**_

 _ **Maybelline turned back to Jasper, who had a healthy pink color in his cheeks.**_

 _ **"That was what saved us?" she uttered, her voice husky. "My mother gave us the drug?" There was no other explanation for it.**_

 _ **"No," Jaha shook his head. "The was only one dose left for further testing. Eliza gave it to you and once it settled in your system, she transfuse your blood into the boy and it was able to cure his illness as well."**_

 _ **"I still don't understand why you're here," Maybelline stated coolly. But she did. She did understand. She understood far too well. Her blood turned to ice and she felt as though her heart had stopped, frozen in time, so cold. She was suffocating.**_

 _ **Please, don't let it be true. Please, don't let it be true.**_

 _ **"Your mother endangered your life, Maybelline-"**_

 _ **"She would never do something like that!"**_

 _ **"She apparently wasn't thinking clearly. You haven't shown any side effects yet and our doctors think that you could have natural antibodies because of your mother, but-"**_

 _ **"I want to talk with my mother," Maybelline interrupted in a firm voice. At that moment, she didn't care that she was talking with the Chancellor, she didn't care about anything.**_

 _ **"Maybelline," Jaha pronounced carefully. "I just wanted to tell you-"**_

 _ **"I don't want to hear anything from you, I want to talk to my mom!" Maybelline cried out in anxiety and her eyes fill up with tears, blurring her vision.**_

 _ **She knew it. She knew it before Jaha even said it.**_

 _ **"Your mother violated the law. She was floated."**_

"He doesn't remember anything of what happened," Maybelline said softly. _Lucky him._ "It's be better to leave it that way." She didn't want to burden Jasper with what had happened. He didn't need to know.

Andrew nodded, intertwining his fingers in front of him.

"The poisonous fog stopped at the edge of the camp," he changed the subject, but his voice wasn't sounding any easier to her ears. "But four kids still didn't make it to safety in time."

 _Six dead. 95 left._

"It looked like a chemical weapon."

Andrew looked at her doubtfully.

"Such technology has long disappeared from this place, May."

"You mean such as the last people on Earth?" Maybelline retorted meaningfully.

"Touché. We can't rely on anything these days. Yesterday, I saw a rabbit here with three ears."

Maybelline said nothing. After a moment, she turned and met his piercing gaze. She almost forgot how vivid he seemed all the time, how he was always bursting with life and energy. It was good to have him here. It seemed normal if something like normal ever existed to her. It was as if the past twelve months hadn't happened, as if nothing had happened.

"Do you think we should... talk about _that thing_?" Andrew asked carefully, reading her thoughts right off her face.

 _Please, no. Let's not do this now._

"How about we never talk about that?" That opportunity sincerely suited her better.

 _Let's never talk about what Andrew did._

The red haired boy chuckled, shaking his head, he pulled a small plastic container from his pocket and he placed it gently on her lap. Maybelline blinked as she cautiously unscrewed the lid, revealing a dense, blue gel-like substance that smelled… actually, it smelled nice.

Sweet, fresh, and clean.

"What is it?" she asked, confused.

"Can't you tell?" Andrew shook his head at her with a smile. "You really _are_ desperate. That, my dear, is self-made ointment. Healing effects and disinfection in one. But you know, no big deal." He added, mock modestly.

Maybelline was looking at the tub in her hands in utter disbelief.

"There's no way you could have found all necessary ingredients. I searched all night and then the next day again. I was looking everywhere."

"Well, probably not hard enough," Andrew teased and then raised his hands in the air as a sign of resignation the next moment when he received Maybelline's cold glare. _Nobody_ had looked harder than she had.

"Oh, come on, don't be offended. You're lucky that I'm here and I could make it - now when you and Jasper need it."

Maybelline raised her eyebrows at him.

"Me?"

Andrew gave her a meaningful look and his fingers gently pulled the sleeve of her leather jackets up, revealing the now deeply tinged purple and blue bruise in the shape of long fingers that arched over her wrist.

He frowned looking at it.

"I'd like to believe that this has nothing to do with the fact that Blake has a gun tucked in his pants again, but unfortunately for you, I'm not that naive," he commented in a bitter tone.

"That'll be brief," Maybelline ensured him quietly, looking ahead. She wasn't planning to leave the Dictator here with a weapon.

"Still. He chose the perfect moment, you have to give him that," Andrew went on while rubbing the ointment into her bruises. "What a dick move."

"I can't help but think that he might not be convicted offender, but he certainly is one of the most dangerous here," the black haired girl said, thinking aloud.

"Well, at least he has a nice black eye, serves him right. Show me the other one."

Maybelline stretched it out to him after a moment of hesitation and Andrew pulled up her sleeve up over her forearm, exposing hastily bandaged gash for what was Blake also to blame.

"You seriously didn't spend much time tying this one," Andrew didn't spare her his comment on the bandage while removing it. "I, on the other hand, am extremely thorough! I managed to put together a first-class tent. Seriously, just wait till you see it."

"You can pack it," Maybelline told him quietly. "We're not staying."

Andrew lifted her head in surprise. "Aren't we?"

"Well, I'm definitely not. I have to get to Mount Weather. You obviously have a choice," she told him in as casual voice as she could manage, despite her feeling the exact opposite of casual.

 _Please come with me. Please just come._

Andrew studied her for a moment before shrugging.

"Sounds like fun. We're leaving now?"

Maybelline couldn't describe the relief that had spilled in her chest when he said so. It was a huge mistake to ignore Andrew. Now she knew that for sure.

"Not yet. There is one more thing I need to take care of before we go."

"And that is?"

"Get that gun out of Bellamy Blake's hands."

 _Yeah… Again._


	7. People With Actual Feelings

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 just my OC.**

 **Forms of writing:**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **People With Actual Feelings**

* * *

Maybelline was always quick to adapt. So if Bellamy Blake had his own style of doing things and wasn't about to play fair, there was no reason why Maybelline should have either.

It was still dark in the early hours of the morning when she stealthily slipped into his tent. Actually, it wasn't as much not playing fair as it was treating the situation like she was dealing with a small child. If a child takes something and refuses to give it up, do you argue with said child? No, you just wait till he falls asleep and take that something back yourself. And at that moment, Maybelline was glad that Octavia insisted on some independence and didn't share a tent with her brother, things were much easier that way.

Blake lay in a tangle of cloths, half naked with his head buried in a rolled-up jacket. Maybelline didn't even have to bother with looking - he was clutching the gun in his hand beside his head.

 _Sure, nothing to worry about there. I just sleep with a gun under my pillow, no big deal._

The great leader lectured the young offenders daily about how they were much more powerful than they could imagine, trying to get into their heads that they mean much more than they themselves thought they did and even more, so some Grounders wouldn't dare attack them. All that pompous talk but he was too afraid to put the gun away for the night?

Maybelline was seriously interested in what went on in Bellamy's head. She wanted to know whether or not he truly believed in his own words, and in that case was delusional and the power really got into his head. Or did he know how things really were, that they weren't safe no matter how many pretty speeches he gave, and in that case was more manipulative than she originally thought. Or was it something in between? One thing was for certain - Maybelline had imagined a variety of possible complications before her departure to Earth, but Bellamy Blake surpassed all expectations. That ends today.

Silently, she moved to his makeshift bed, kneeling beside his head. His grip around the weapon didn't seem tight. Maybelline pressed the barrel of the gun with two fingers and started to slowly release it, constantly watching Bellamy's face. But he didn't stir or wake up, not even when the gun slipped from his fingers. Maybelline was almost sorry at the moment that she won't be there to see the expression on his face when he wakes up and realize that his prize gun was once again gone. Well, it was his fault that he lacked some basic instincts - Maybelline certainly wouldn't have been peacefully asleep if someone got so close to her.

She straightened up and tucked the gun into her belt, looking at the sleeping Blake once more. She was leaving the kids here with him. Of course, some of them were lost cases who just followed him blindly, but there were few exceptions. One of them was Jasper…

She shook her head, pushing those thoughts away. If everything would go as it should - the Ark was coming down here soon and they won't be in the hands of Bellamy Blake for much longer. His fate, however, was another matter entirely...

xXxXx

"How did it go?"

Andrew was waiting for her at the edge of the camp, backpack on his back and a big smile brightening his face. He was thrilled about the idea of robbing Blake from the very start - maybe even a little too much.

"Too easy," Maybelline replied airily with a nonchalant shrug. "I guess I expected more."

Andrew chuckled at her sass.

"Was he alone?" he asked curiously.

Maybelline gave him a puzzled look. "He was."

"That's surprising," Andrew sneered, aw. "The other morning I saw not one, but two girls coming out of his tent."

Maybelline shook her head, already over it, and headed directly into the dark forest.

"And I was wondering why he was enjoying this situation _so_ much…"

They managed to walk a whole mile before day broke. Their surroundings were peaceful, no animals or Grounders, they had been lucky so far. Other than the sound of their own steps, all was quiet, yet Maybelline turned her head back to the camp from time to time, just in case… Well, maybe she was getting paranoid.

"No one's following us," Andrew responded to her movements with a smile. "Who'd be awake so soon? Moreover, who'd even go after us?"

 _Well, I don't know. Maybe furious Bellamy Blake, when he finds out that I stole his gun again?_

That was pretty unlikely, given the fact that he was still completely out when Maybelline had left him. He seemed to have a few more hours of sleep left in him by the looks of it.

"So? What is the plan?" Andrew continued on, clearly in a very positive mood. "You know, _your true purpose_ ," he said in a low voice.

"My purpose?" Maybelline repeated with a lifted eyebrow.

"The reason Ark sent you down," Andrew specified patiently, his eyes knowing. "You made it clear that it wasn't to babysit us little delinquents, so… Why?"

Maybelline didn't even think about not telling him. She knew that she wasn't meant to, but that didn't change a thing. There was another reason, actually, why she had avoided Andrew from the very start. She wanted to manage everything on her own, just complete the mission with no delay and then figure it out with him before the Ark got to Earth. But things had changed drastically and her original plans burned to dust a long time ago.

"The navigation system on the Ark sucks," Maybelline spoke up calmly. "They were able to send us down here - but as you might notice, the landing was not very smooth and they dropped us few miles farther than intended. If the Exodus project is to be accomplished successfully, the Ark would need a signal, a strong signal from the Earth for them to land here safely."

Andrew nodded thoughtfully.

"So that's why Mount Weather."

Maybelline nodded affirmatively.

"That's why Mount Weather. It's not just about stocks. There should be functional telecommunication equipment at the military base."

Silence reigned as the red haired boy thought about everything he had just learned, taking it in step by step just as he always had. Maybelline knew he wasn't done asking questions, she knew him too well for that. Andrew was bright as a button, probably the smartest person she had even known. Which was often quite annoying, since he was rarely wrong.

"I hate to break it up to you, but how exactly do you plan to get into Mount Weather?" he asked cautiously. "After all, it _is_ a military base and a bomb shelter in one. I doubt that the door would just be wide open."

Andrew, once again, didn't disappoint her expectations.

"There was an employee from Mount Weather who lived on the Ark. He left behind a few numerical combinations of access codes and I happen to know all of them."

The boy let out an amused chuckle.

"They could've just given you a piece of paper. But why do something the simple way, right? How many numbers did you have to remember?"

"A few," Maybelline replied indefinitely. "Paper can be lost. Or destroyed…"

"They could've given you two," Andrew shrugged, insisting on his truth. "Or ten. I'm surprised that they didn't tattoo those combinations on your-"

"Quit being such a smart aleck, Andrew," Maybelline rolled her eyes, but unwittingly smiled. You could always do something in a better way, according to Andrew Carlyle. Every single time.

He noticed her smile immediately.

"Oh, you must have missed me so bad, right?" he teased, winking at her in a funny way.

And Maybelline took a breath to answer, but something stopped her. Something overly cautious deep inside her was telling her that she shouldn't have been voicing her emotions out loud for any good reason.

Andrew noticed her hesitation. Of course he did.

"I've missed you a lot," he said, his voice smooth. "See? It didn't even hurt."

Maybelline didn't answer, looking straight ahead. Maybe he was right, and she was being stupid, maybe he wasn't. But either way, he certainly had no right to have his feelings hurt.

"I knew you'd be like this after twelve months alone with Mr. Iceberg," Andrew jeered and probably tried to sound even, but the subtext of his message was bitter.

And there it was. Maybelline waited to see how long it would take before he would brought him up, but this felt like too soon. The odd thing was that Andrew was a pretty easygoing person, who could endure almost anything without much trouble and nothing could fly him off the handle. But from the first moment they had met - Andrew couldn't stand Marcus Kane.

Maybelline turned to him and frowned.

"You were dying to mention him, weren't you?" she asked flatly.

"Yes," Andrew admitted without hesitation, the look in his pastel blue eyes was intense. "Because as soon as you got off the dropship, I could almost _see him_ standing behind your back, whispering into your ear. I bet that you two planned this whole trip together, am I wrong?"

"You're not," Maybelline retorted indifferently. "You got a problem with that?"

Andrew obviously had a lot of problems with that.

"Tell me, did he tell you to not talk to me?" he smiled at her sourly.

"He wouldn't do such a thing."

"But he wouldn't encourage it either, huh?"

"Stop acting like a child, Andrew."

But the red haired boy was far from done.

"And he was certainly the one who suggested -no, _commanded_ , you stay away from those kids, right? To _not get involved_? Because I was watching you, May, and you didn't even want to look at them. Any of them."

Maybelline halted, turning to face him, fire in her eyes.

"You got yourself into the Skybox. You were gone for over a year. So you have no right to behave like nothing had happened and preach from your high horse. You don't get to talk about him when you don't know _anything_."

Andrew regarded her for a moment, his eyes probing and then he closed them shut. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, smiling.

"Okay, I get it. It'll take a while... But everything's gonna be fine," he assured, more himself rather than her.

Maybelline's eyebrows cringed.

"What?"

"I can fix it, May, it'll be okay again," he told her cheerfully. Maybelline wasn't sure what was he planning to fix, but she didn't appreciate his current attitude. "You're here now, around people with actual feelings, so that's only gonna do you good from here on out."

Maybelline was glaring at him as he just stood there, dopey smile on his face.

"You're an idiot," she informed him bluntly.

"But you love me anyway," Andrew replied as he shrugged. An amused snort slipped through her lips - she couldn't help it, the confidence flushed all over him. How could be anyone so absolutely sure of having all the answers?

"See? You're already getting better," he chirped with a grin. "That's why I think we should stay with the others. Which is, by the way, another fascinating conversation you are about to happily have with me now."

Maybelline sighed at his enthusiastically energetic words.

"Am I really?" she asked sarcastically.

Andrew tried to nod with a serious expression on his face.

"That's right."

"Hell no. There's nothing to talk about. I'm not going back."

"Can we discuss this?"

"No."

"Fine."

From the corner of her eye, Maybelline saw him bending over for a piece of timber and in the next second, he tossed it at her without much power behind the trow. The black haired girl caught it without a problem thanks to her quick reflexes and his weak aim, and gave him a pointed look.

"What was that about?" she asked suspiciously.

"We don't have to talk, let's solve it a different way." Andrew picked up another branch, turning it in his fingers quickly. "We'll have a little exercise fight. If I win, we'll come back to camp after all this. If you win, we can spend God knows how long in the cold military base waiting for the Ark to start dictating our lives again. I personally can't wait."

Maybelline stared at him blankly, the piece of wood still surprisingly in her hand for some reason.

"You're kidding, right?"

He couldn't be serious. They were in the middle of a toxic forest, animals around here proved to be degenerate and dangerous, and people who survived the nuclear apocalypse had the ugly tendency to try and murder them all, for whatever reason. And he wanted to mess around with sticks?

"Come on," Andrew drawled, grinning from ear to ear. "It'll be fun."

"You have been in prison for a year," Maybelline reminded him casually. What exactly was he going to present her with that stick?

"I was," the boy said simply. "And you think that I was just sitting on my hands all day long?"

Well, he did have a lot of time on his hands in the Skybox… But that didn't matter. Maybe he was training every day, maybe he was sleeping, Maybelline wasn't in the mood to find out.

"No," she said resolutely. "We have to stay focused. If you haven't realized yet, there are other people around, not exactly friendly, a teeny bit territorial. We don't get to behave irresponsibly."

"For God's sake," Andrew sighed, rolling his eyes. "We're on Earth, May. Has that not sunk in yet? We're not locked in a metal tin anymore, we're not breathing the synthetic air, we're here! After almost a hundred years... Stop overthinking everything and just… enjoy the fact."

"I'll have plenty of time to enjoy it after we finish our business at Mount Weather," the black haired girl contended, still stubborn.

"So I take it you're afraid of losing?" Andrew smiled slyly. "Well, _that_ makes sense... Considering how most of our past struggles ended…"

"Do you really take me for such an idiot?" Maybelline snorted, shaking her head at his poor effort. "You think that I can be provoked that easily?"

Andrew didn't answer. He merely took his backpack off with his free hand and started to spin the branch in his hand as he approached her.

"Stop it, Andrew," Maybelline warned with a frown. "I really-"

She didn't even finish her sentence because Andrew attacked her and she had to instantly block him out with her own branch.

"Come on, May," the boy drawled out again, shifting from foot to foot. "A whole year. I know that you wanted to hit me at least several times during that time… This could be a wonderful icebreaker!"

"We. Don't. Have. Time. For this," Maybelline growled, bouncing his branch aside and away again, sharper than was necessary.

"Oh, don't worry. I intend to finish it quickly," Andrew assured her confidently with a smug smile - the very one which she often saw on Bellamy Blake's face.

 _Screw it, he's going down._

Maybelline let her bag slip to the ground and surged forward. Andrew was taken aback by her abrupt reaction for a moment, but he quickly assimilated himself in response. After only a few strokes, the black haired girl knew he was telling the truth - he hadn't exactly relaxed in the Skybox. He was just as in form and full of energy as always. And once again he was right - it felt really nice to try to hammer him into the ground with a solid piece of wood.

Maybelline lost track of time during the fight. She was faster and he was stronger - nothing had changed, it was always like that. In the end, their battle was only about who devised a better strategy, a smarter trick, anything that would help them to victory swift enough.

Neither of them managed to directly hit the other one. The branches proved to be much tougher than they seemed, it was really surprising that neither of them snapped in half during the process. Maybelline bent back to avoid Andrew's lunge, the wood was merely millimeters from her face. In return she harshly lashed out with her own branch, aiming for his abdomen, and Andrew didn't block the attack.

The stick jabbed him hard in his stomach. Maybelline froze for a moment, just a second of hesitation, and it was all he needed to trip her legs from beneath. She realized too late that he let her hit him on purpose. Maybelline fell onto the soft grass, and before she could stop herself she was holding a gun pointed at the red haired boy, who immediately stilled, his arms outstretched and the branch falling from his fingers, his light blue eyes unreadable.

"It looks like I won," Maybelline stated as evenly as she could, trying to catch her breath.

"That's cheating," Andrew scowled at her. Well, it wasn't like any other of their previous fight had strict rules anyway.

"The result is the only thing that matters," she replied simply.

Andrew's eyes narrowed and he put his hands down.

"Did Marcus Kane teach you that?" he asked knowingly.

Maybelline didn't even have the time to resent the comment because, in the next second, she overheard the distinct sound of approaching steps. She grabbed Andrew's shirt, pulling him to the ground, and they both pressed their backs against the nearest tree trunk, hiding in its fold. The steps approached closer and Maybelline had her gun ready. It sounded like just one enemy. One very slow and loud Grounder, possibly untrained.

It only took a few seconds before the intruder entered their field of vision. He walked to the center of the clearing, which had just served them as a ring. His eyes lowered to the sight of her abandoned backpack lying on the ground and he scratched his head. Maybelline felt a mixture of disbelief and anger inside of her - she would recognize that thick mane of hair anywhere.

"Are you kidding me?!" she growled, pulling up to her feet as she tucked the gun back into her belt.

Finn Collins was startled by her exclamation and turned to her with a nervous smile on his face.

"Um... Hey, guys!" he greeted them uncertainly.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Maybelline was glaring at the younger boy with murder in her eyes. She nearly shot that freaking idiot! Not like it wouldn't solve some things…

While she tried to find it in her not strangle the newcomer, her red haired friend decided to on a different approach.

"Hi, I'm Andrew," he said cheerfully, walking to him with his hand held out. "You're the Spacewalker, right?"

Maybelline smacked his outstretched hand back to his side, looking at him in disbelief.

"For real?"

"Relax, May," Andrew tried to calm her down. "Maybe he just went out for a walk-"

"He was tracking us and you know it!" Maybelline indignantly pointed at Finn, who just stood there, looking from one to the other. "The worst part is that he probably just did it out of boredom!"

"Hey, I'm standing right here," the Spacewalker spoke up. "And just so you know, I had a reason. I was curious," he added as if that was enough to justify everything.

Maybelline folded her arms.

"That's your reason?" she asked cynically. "Seriously?"

"Well, I've never seen you voluntarily talk to anyone before, so-"

"Shut up, Collins."

Andrew started to laugh, amused, but stopped when he met Maybelline's glare.

"Don't look at me like that. The problem is that your "uncaring" behavior attracts more attention to you and your movements than if you were just trying to blend in with the crowd," he explained it to her, as if it was supposed to be perfectly clear. "You'd know that if you had just asked me," he added pointedly.

 _Oh, so Mr. KnowItAll is in check, what a relief._

"Yeah, exactly," Finn agreed with him immediately. "That and the fact that Wells told us that you wanted to leave."

Andrew turned to her, his eyebrows raised.

"You told Jaha? Why would you do that?" he didn't understand.

 _Because I'm an idiot._

"I didn't tell him anything, he figured it out," Maybelline muttered, frowning.

"Unlike his dad - he's got it right in that head of his," Collins nodded with a smile on his face.

Maybelline looked at him with narrowed eyes. How could he be so damn happy all the time?!

"Go back to camp, Finn," she told him uncompromisingly.

Spacewalker gave her a bold smile, folding his arms. "Are you gonna make me?" he asked defiantly.

 _Sure, wanna see?_

Andrew probably noticed a dangerous glint in her eyes because she grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, out of earshot, before she could do anything.

"What's the actual matter here?" he asked, puzzled. "Why are you so angry? I'm pretty sure he's one of the good guys."

"His confidence really gets on my nerves," Maybelline said angrily, still watching Finn with her narrowed eyes. He, as if he wanted to confirm her words, lifted her bag and started to grope around for whatever was inside it. How the hell was possible that she didn't even notice him following them?

"You couldn't have known that he went after us," Andrew told her firmly, as if reading her mind. "We had a pretty good head start."

"Could you stop pretending that you know what I think?" Maybelline growled at him crossly.

Andrew chuckled and raised his eyebrows.

"Pretend? Please..." He shook his head. "Whatever. The thing is - you can't send him back now. We're far enough away from the camp, and it could be dangerous for him."

"I don't care," Maybelline stated indifferently.

"Maybelline..."

"We're not his bodyguards."

"Yeah, so if something happens, you're just gonna let him die?" Andrew asked, giving her a meaningful look.

"Yes," Maybelline replied as surely as she could.

They were staring at each other and their looks reflected more than a thousand words.

"He's coming with us," Andrew eventually decided, seemingly for both of them.

"He is not. We'll be vulnerable because of him, and I'm not going to endanger the lives of thousands of people on the Ark just because Collins had nothing to do," Maybelline frowned.

"I'll keep an eye on him," the red haired boy offered casually. It was almost like he was begging to keep a puppy and Maybelline was his no nonsense mother.

Maybelline examined Andrew carefully. Even though he was still smiling, his eyes were adamant. She couldn't win this argument, not if she wanted him to go to Mount Weather with her.

"If something, _anything_ , happens, that's on you," Maybelline told him flatly.

"Okay," Andrew shrugged his shoulders. "But it'll be fine, trust me."

Trust him. Maybelline snorted, turning her back to him. As intelligent as Andrew was, he sometimes believed in things or behaved like an irresponsible idiot. Saying stuff like "everything will be fine, if we believe it"? Seriously, where were they?

Andrew rubbed his hands together.

"Welcome to our trip!" he told Finn gleefully.

"Seriously? Great." Collins's eyes widened with excitement, apparently not expecting this outcome. His smile faded a bit when Maybelline approached him, snatching her backpack from his hands sharply.

"Stay out of my way," she told him coldly and started to walk away.

"I've never seen her this angry," she heard Finn say quietly.

On the contrary, Andrew wasn't trying to be quiet at all.

"Yeah, well, she didn't see this coming. And things she can't predict make her really insecure."

Maybelline twisted around to her friend, her eyes wide. But Andrew just stood there, right next to a really shocked Finn, an innocent smile on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, her voice prim and almost shrill.

"Having a conversation?" he asked in mock uncertainly. "Is there a problem?"

"Of course not, no, just go ahead," Maybelline encouraged him sarcastically. "How about you tell him what happened with _the lamp_."

"Yeah," Andrew chuckled merrily as the memory amused him and he turned to face the younger boy. "It was about three years ago, May and I-"

"Andrew!" Maybelline hissed at him in panic and Finn burst out laughing.

In that moment, she realized that the whole had trip just turned into a nightmare. Because Andrew Carlyle and Finn Collins were never supposed to meet. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all.

Maybelline watched as Andrew tried to stifle a laugh, solving the problem by turning around and walking to fetch his own backpack that still laid by the clearing. Finn, of course, didn't miss that, looking between the two of them. Maybelline could see how he was taking in how far apart their backpacks actually were, the cogs in his mind spinning.

"What were you doing here anyway?" he asked curiously.

"What's it to you?" Maybelline replied without hesitation.

"We were just in the process of deciding whether, after all this we return to camp or not," Andrew explained gladly. "And I won," he added wryly.

"Like hell you did."

"We'll talk about it later," Andrew just waved his hand carelessly.

"What exactly was the process of deciding?" Finn frowned, puzzled.

Andrew took a breath to explain it to him, but in that moment, Maybelline moved forward, grabbed the red haired boy's wrist and began to pull him ahead.

 _This ends now. I'm not going to let the Spacewalker turn this trip in a thousand and one question for Andrew Carlyle. Certainly not when he is in a so talkative mood._

"Slow down, he can't keep up," Andrew pressed after some time, looking back at Finn, who was following them as quickly as he could, and struggling.

"That's the point," Maybelline informed.

The boy chuckled but made her slow down a bit.

"Relax, May, I would have never told him about the lamp incident," he smiled at her. "I was just kidding."

"You shouldn't tell him anything about me."

"And why not? What's so wrong with that?"

"I'm not here to make friends, Andrew," Maybelline told him seriously. "I have a job to do."

"You always have something to do," Andrew retorted. "Ever since the age of nine, you've had something to do. You had to pass the test and you did. But then project Exodus came and you had another thing. And when the Ark lands, you'll have another job, I'm sure. Can't you see it? It never ends. You've never been anywhere to just make friends."

Maybelline stared into his intensive eyes.

"I don't need anyone."

"You know very well that's not true," Andrew said softly with a smile and put his hand on her shoulder when she tried to turn away. "And I know it as well. I saw your face when you saw me. Pure happiness!" He winked at her.

Maybelline scoffed but smiled.

"Don't be so full of yourself…"

"So," Finn has finally caught up with them, smirking mischievously. "Are you two like… a thing?" He asked, destroying what some might call a nice moment.

Maybelline looked at him coldly.

"We're not-" she started.

"I think we are quite a big thing, alright," Andrew interrupted her with much friendlier tone. "But not in that way."

"Wait, now I'm confused."

"So what," Maybelline obviously wasn't willing to spell it out for him. "You shouldn't be asking those questions anyway."

"Why not, Little One? Too personal for you? Are you uncomfortable?" Finn's smirk widened as he looked to her, evidently enjoying this whole situation.

Maybelline smiled at him sweetly.

"What about you and Clarke? Are you two like a thing?"

Finn froze on his spot, his expression stern.

"That's why," she added shrewdly.

Finn snorted, shaking his head.

"Whatever… But if you two are such great friends, how come I've never seen you together before? We've been here for four days, after all."

Maybelline and Andrew looked at each other, but the black haired girl quickly avoided his eyes. She wasn't going to talk about it now. Certainly not in front of the damned Spacewalker.

"Well," Andrew started evasively. "We had some weaker moments..."

 _ **"Andrew... What... are you doing?"**_

 _ **"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, May, I am. But this is the only way."**_

Maybelline shook her head, pushing unpleasant memories away. She wasn't going to think about it, she wasn't going to talk about it. If they both could just forget that it ever happened, it would be best for everyone.

She quickly turned to Finn before he could take a breath and demand further explanation.

"Are you done with your questions?" she asked him, trying to hide her irritation.

"Not even close," Spacewalker replied with a smile.

"You're done," the black haired girl told him firmly. "You forced yourself here with no care at all over whether we would mind and according to someone," she gave Andrew a meaningful look. "we're too far out to send you back by yourself. So you're with us now and you should know that we're not picking berries. We're heading to the Mount Weather, it could be dangerous. So it's time to set some rules, Spacewalker."

Andrew leaned against the tree trunk, smiling and basing his arms. "This should be interesting ..." he commented cheerfully.

Maybelline ignored him, giving Finn a piercing look.

"You won't be loud or careless. You're going to stay in the back, head down and ears open. You're gonna do everything I tell you. If you have a problem with that, you can turn around and go back to camp, is that clear?"

Finn blinked. He turned to Andrew as if he expected that the red headed boy would add something funny to lighten the mood, but Andrew, very wisely, didn't. The boy then looked back at Maybelline, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So?"

"I just wonder who gets off on ordering around more," Finn said, tilting his head, regarding her with meaningful. "You? Or Blake?"

Maybelline bit her lip.

"Do not compare me to Bellamy Blake."

Spacewalker just shrugged and pursed his lips.

"Well, you're the one who saved Mr. Food-for-bracelet's life," he intoned, his voice self-righteous and belittling.

Andrew turned to her, a surprised expression on his face, his mouth gaping open almost comically.

" _You_ saved Bellamy Blake?"

Evidently, he was now sorry for all the things he had previously missed.

Maybelline sighed theatrically.

"The second biggest mistake of my life."

"What was the first?" Finn immediately asked, nosy as ever.

"Saving yours," Maybelline replied without hesitation.

Spacewalker frowned, giving her a nasty look.

"That wasn't funny."

"Wasn't meant to be. Make a decision, Collins."

"I'll go with you, and I'll behave. But I have one other question," he stated the condition, as if he was in any place to.

Maybelline just rolled her eyes, hoping that if she appeased him maybe he'd give it all a rest.

"So let's get this over with," she sighed, rubbing her temple softly, willing away the headache he was creating.

"How did you two meet?"

 _ **She got kicked in the stomach and ended up on the floor. In that moment, it didn't matter to Maybelline that they were being trained to control their emotions and not to take anything personally - when someone hurts you, you're biologically inclined to resent them. She tried to catch her breath as the final hit blew all the oxygen out of her lungs, and she narrowed her eyes at the boy above her, who stared back blankly with his hands folded across his chest.**_

 _ **"Stand up, Emery," Shumway said, his voice hard. But Maybelline was done. She could hardly breathe, and was unable even feel her legs anymore, let alone continue the fight.**_

 _ **"Stand up!" The commander ordered once more - and he was never known to repeat it thrice time, but Maybelline didn't really care. Her opponent uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to her. Maybelline looked at him carefully, wary of what he was trying to achieve, but Shumway had better guess of his intentions.**_

 _ **"Don't!" he demanded sternly. "Don't help her up!"**_

 _ **But the boy didn't obey. He leaned down, and with the same hands that dealt hard blows to her just moments ago, he gently pulled her up to her feet. The others were watching them, puzzled by the display and Shumway seemed he was about to burst at any second. He really hated disobedience, but so did everyone else on the Ark.**_

 _ **"You're on ten minutes time-out! Report to me at the end of the day!" he shouted at them and signalized the rest of the group to continue training. Maybelline slowly followed the boy into a corridor out the side of the training pen. It was cold and there was nowhere to sit, so she leaned against the wall, dabbing sweat from her forehead.**_

 _ **"Why did you do that?" she asked suspiciously, as soon as the door closed behind them.**_

 _ **The boy looked at her with his blue eyes, eyeing her from the head to the toe.**_

 _ **"You're hopeless," he told her in a clear voice. "Your defense is a tragedy."**_

 _ **Maybelline was taken aback by his answer and also offended, but she wasn't going to let him know that.**_

 _ **"Thanks," she replied sarcastically.**_

 _ **"You were also looking at my feet the whole time. That's not the best strategy, if you ask me," the boy went on.**_

 _ **"Anything else?" Maybelline asked bitterly.**_

 _ **"Yeah," the boy replied, his lips twisting into a sly smile. "I'm Andrew."**_

 _ **Maybelline blinked, thoroughly confused.**_

 _ **"They told us that we shouldn't get involved. It might distract us from our mission," she repeated the exact words of Commander Shumway.**_

 _ **"**_ **They** _ **also told me to not to help you up," Andrew remarked significantly. "But weren't you glad that I did?"**_

 _ **Maybelline looked into his blue eyes, thinking over his words, still puzzled. Was this a trick? Another test?**_

 _ **"What, Emery? Can't you make a decision without someone telling you what to do?" he asked mockingly, a spark in his eyes.**_

 _ **"My name's Maybelline," the black haired girl said belligerently. If she expected his recognition, she had miscalculated because the boy with red hair just chuckled.**_

 _ **"That's an awfully long and overly complicated."**_

 _ **Maybelline raised an eyebrow. Was he serious?**_

 _ **"It' has only three syllables."**_

 _ **"If you say so," Andrew shrugged his shoulders carelessly, eyeing her over again. "Next time, don't look at my feet, May. Look into my eyes."**_

 _ **"Why?" the black haired girl asked with a frown. His intense gaze on her wasn't comfortable and she definitely didn't appreciate how casually he shortened her name, not caring if it bothered her or not.**_

 _ **"Isn't it obvious?" the boy chuckled again. "They're what give everyone away."**_

"How do people usually meet?" Maybelline replied to Collins' question evasively while turning her back on him to indicate that he won't get a better answer.

Andrew had a different opinion.

"You see, I was one of the fifty children who were selected for the Rorchack test."

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone who favorited/followed and mainly reviewed! :)**


	8. Mount Weather

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Forms of writing:

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Mount Weather**

* * *

Maybelline

Maybelline couldn't believe he actually told Spacewalker. Slowly, she turned back to the two boys, meeting Andrew's eyes immediately. Finn watched him too, eyes wide open like saucers in his shock.

"What did you say?" he gasped in perplexity.

Andrew shifted his weight from one foot to the other and took a breath, about to repeat his statement.

"He heard you," Maybelline announced flatly as she wrapped her arms tightly around her chest.

The red haired boy's blue eyes eyed her with scrupulousness.

"What?" he asked almost unknowingly.

"Nothing," the black haired girl replied with a shrug. "I just recall that you signed something… pact of silence I think it was called. Don't you remember? It was quite a big deal at that time…"

"That's why I didn't break it until now," Andrew explained, his voice even. „But, May, it doesn't mean anything anymore. We don't have to make a fuss about it."

"You've never made any fuss about the promises you gave anyway, so I can't really say I'm surprised," Maybelline remarked tartly.

They just stared at each other for a moment, reading one other's expression. Maybelline wasn't sure what irritated her more - was it the casualness with which he blurted it out, like it was nothing at all, or that he said it before Finn Collins, the yet undeclared camp gossip magazine reported?

"Will you let me explain what I meant?" Andrew asked, frowning. Her took her continuing silence and unrelenting cold stare as consent. "I said, that _now_ it's not worth making a fuss about. The Rorchack test is over. No one else will ever take it again, no one else will ever pass it."

Maybelline blinked while his words sunk deeper into her, and yet it took a moment before she realized their true meaning - before she was able even to consider that he could be right.

"It's over, May," Andrew spoke up again. „What was the original plan? The group of people who passed the test should have been the first on Earth. You're the only one who ever passed, and that didn't matter anyway, because the Ark began to crumble apart and they would have to land here no matter what. So if you think about it, this entire past decade was actually completely for nothing."

Maybelline almost forgot that they were not alone in that moment. She pressed her lips into a thin line and turned her back to him because she couldn't stand the look of those prudent blue eyes any longer. This was one of those moments when she truly hated how Andrew was always right. Why did he have to always be so right…?

"Yeah, it wasn't an easy realization for me either," Andrew added bitterly. "But… there's nothing we can do about it now. It's time to move on."

It was truly pathetic how much his words actually surprised her. Maybe she was constantly busy because of the Exodus project, but that wasn't an excuse for her to take a bling eye to the clear facts staring at her in the face. No one else will ever take the Rorchack test, no one else will ever train for it ever again. It was over. Ten years have passed her and her commission has failed before it even truly started. Instead of a team of other people who went through what she did, she was here with rakish children, who no longer had a place on the Ark.

"May?" Andrew asked cautiously approaching her. "Listen, I won't tell him anything else, if you don't want to."

"No, you're right," she replied calmly and started walking again. "It doesn't matter anymore."

None of it mattered.

Bellamy

He didn't even have to think about, not even for a second. She was the first one who came to his mind as soon as he found out his gun was missing. He didn't even bother himself with thinking about other possible suspects.

It was her. It had to be her.

With clenched fists, he searched the entire camp and every nook of the dropship. Ge looked everywhere.

But there was no trace of Maybelline Emery.

 _Where the hell is she?!_

Bellamy was angry - mostly at himself for letting something like that happen. And he was perhaps even more furious because of how easily she managed it! She just strolled into his tent and robbed him without him waking up! From now on, Bellamy Blake was going to sleep with one eye open, that was for sure.

"Are you kidding me?" he frowned at Murphy and Dax, who were just running up to him, still with nothing found.

"She's nowhere around the camp," Dax told him with a shrug. „It's like she just vanished."

"I checked the springs and the heat, but let's face it, she could be anywhere at this point," Murphy added.

"And where would she go?" Bellamy retorted angrily. Could she just take his gun and run into the woods?

"Mount Weather maybe?" Murphy suggested with raised eyebrows.

Bellamy was jarred by a strong desire to hit something. Of course Emery went there. She had wanted to go there since they landed, and now she had his gun and there was nothing holding her back here. That was probably where she was heading the night when he decided to go after her - and his move ironically just extended her stay at the camp. But that didn't change anything. Bellamy still needed to get that damn bracelet off her and his gun back.

"Check around again," he ordered the two boys firmly. "And if you find her - bring her to me."

Dax simply nodded and immediately ran back into the forest, but Bellamy noticed that Murphy didn't. He still stood there, hands in his pockets, impassive expression on his face.

"What?" Bellamy narrowed his eyes at him.

"What are you going to do about her?" the younger boy questioned expectantly. "That girl's obviously a big problem for our thing."

 _Our thing, huh?_

However, Murphy was undoubtedly right. Emery was in his way and Bellamy knew that there wasn't any chance that he could somehow manipulate or make some kind of deal with her- certainly not after what happened in that cave. Not like he thought it was possible before that anyway.

Bellamy looked at Murphy intently.

"I'll deal with her," he said, his voice strong. "Just find her."

John Murphy nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer and disappeared. Bellamy was left alone, and after a while he realized that he was just sullenly staring at the ground, pondering about the difficult situation the girl put him in. To hell with Maybelline Emery.

He decided to leave it for the moment since he couldn't do anything if she wasn't around and he wasn't planning on going to Mount Weather any time soon. He put his hands on his hips, besieging the camp with his vision. Most of the children listened to him pretty well. They gathered food, searched for firewood, collected water and tried to create some dwellings from what was left of the dropship. Bellamy couldn't help himself but think how much easier all of this would be for him, if Emery had never been sent down with them…

He caught a glimpse of a little girl, she was probably one of the youngest in the camp. She sat apart from all the others, leaning on a tree trunk and humming some low tune. Her eyes focused down on the ground where she was scratching some unreadable scrawls into the dirt. That image brought up some memories in Bellamy's head. A little girl. Lonely. Humming a quiet melody. All that lacked was a hole in the floor and regular checkups to escape from.

"Hey," Bellamy spoke up to her, coming closer. "Are you okay?"

The blond haired girl lifted her head and her eyes him landed on him warily.

"Yes," she replied softly.

Bellamy squatted next to her. "Why aren't you with the others? It's always safer in the crowd," he told her sententiously.

The girl dropped her eyes back to the ground on the stick, drawling a long line across her chaotic picture.

"They think I'm weird," she shrugged.

Bellamy frowned slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he took the slim piece of wood out of her hand which forced her to look up at him again. „Being different than they are doesn't mean it's wrong," he told her with a firm voice.

The girl watched him, her gray eyes wide and a little suspicious.

"What's your name?"

"Charlotte."

Maybelline

"I thought that anyone could participate in the Rorchack test. You know, if they pass the physical exam?"

"It was like that in the start. But the Council then agreed that without rigorous training no one could really pass, so they let all the children on the Ark go through the first phase of Rorchack test. You did it too, they probably just told you it was a psych exam."

"You're kidding me, _that_ was it?! It took two hours, and those questions were just ridiculous! How could anyone even concentrate that long, weren't we like eight?"

"Someone obviously could. They chose the fifty children with best results and then the real fun started."

Maybelline was wrong. It did matter. It wasn't important, that the test was over and there was nothing to hide anymore - the fact that Andrew was just casually telling Finn Collins, of all people, about how exactly their life looked like over the past ten years was simply unbearable to her. Maybe it was over, but this was her life and it felt… personal. The Spacewalker didn't deserve to know, he didn't deserve to know any of it, any of her. But there was no stopping Andrew now, was there?

"And then, after seven years of all that, they happily announced that we can start with our attempts to pass the Rorchack test," Andrew said with a fake enthusiastic smile. "There was a catch, of course."

 _Truth. There is always a catch._

"What was the catch?" Finn wanted to know and Maybelline really wondered if he ever paid attention to anything with this fervor before.

She glanced over her shoulder clearly feeling Andrew's intense stare. Was it really necessarily to tell him all those details? Why was he so enthusiastic and _willing_ to babble all of this out the first chance he got? Maybelline would never talk about it, not even with a knife at her throat.

"There was one other exam we had to do, before we could even begin with the Rorchack test," Andrew explained serenely and his light blue eyes were shining with memories.

"The computer simulation."

 _ **One day on Earth, that's what they called it. But Maybelline felt like the entire mission lasted for weeks, so long that she couldn't even recognize what's real and what was a simulation. And that was probably the point.**_

 _ **The colors around her were electrifying and vibrant all at once, and she could hear the hum of leaves, gurgling water, even her own steps. The only thing that could detect that she wasn't in reality was her sense of smell. Because even with all this around her, Maybelline could still smell the cold, metallic scent that plagued the Ark. But one could hardly focus on that with piercing screams and menacing growls overwhelming all her other capacities.**_

 _ **Four of them were already dead, but it wasn't over - not just yet, not with the last woman crouching behind her still breathing, Maybelline wasn't giving up. Monstrous animals that evaded even description circled around them. They were too many for her to handle and protect the woman at the same time. One of the enormous wolf-like creatures dodged her blade when she moved to strike and jumped on the woman's back, tearing her bag off her body. Before Maybelline could put a knife in its skull, he disappeared into the trees and was replaced by three others. Maybelline managed to fend off two of them, the third broke his claw deep into the chest of her ward. But she was still breathing. It wasn't over.**_

 _ **However, in the next second, everything went black and silent. Maybelline felt her knees buckle - it happened every time whenever they broke her away from the simulation. All the pressure dissipated and she had to blink facing a sharp white light to refocus her eyesight. She wasn't in the middle of the forest anymore, she was in the small square room and five men sat directly in front of her being the glass, their faces stern. Her 21st attempt just failed.**_

 _ **"Wait," she exhaled heavily, still catching her breath. "She wasn't dead-"**_

 _ **"Take off your headpiece and leave the room," Shumway ordered her coldly.**_

 _ **Maybelline bit her lip, she was doing everything right. There was no chance to beat so big pack by herself, so what the hell was the trick?! What was she missing?!**_

 _ **"I still could-" she began to protest to no avail.**_

 _ **"Maybelline Emery," Kane spoke up in a firm voice, his green eyes unreadable. "Do what you've been told."**_

 _ **Maybelline swallowed thickly, looking directly into Kane's eyes. Was he irritated? Disappointed? Probably both. She loosened the iron headpiece from her head, as she'd been ordered, and placed it on the cold floor. And without an adequate look at the jury, she left the room.**_

 _ **xXxXx**_

 _ **"So I guess you didn't pass," a loosened voice said above her.**_

 _ **Maybelline didn't look up from her script of defensive strategy. She had no desire to look at Andrew, Mr. Perfect, who passed the pre-test on the third attempt and was about to pass the Rorchack test any day now. But he was never easily discouraged by her unwillingness and today wasn't any different. He sat across from her, intertwining his fingers.**_

 _ **"How was it?" he pushed on.**_

 _ **"We can't talk about it," Maybelline replied casually as she turned the page. Before she could even read the first word on the freshly turned paper, Andrew grabbed her book and pulled it out of her reach. Maybelline looked at him angrily. "Hey!"**_

 _ **"That won't help you, May," Andrew shrugged. "You're just wasting your time. I know you already know it all by heart."**_

 _ **"I have to do something," the black haired girl growled out, as she tried to reach for the book, but he just pulled it further away.**_

 _ **"A complete change of attitude would be nice," Andrew suggested cheerfully. Maybelline just shook her head and reached across the table, but the boy ducked back with a book. "You know what they say? If you cannot beat them... deceive them."**_

 _ **"I'm pretty sure it's 'join them'."**_

 _ **"This is my own improved version. It's much more effective, trust me."**_

„ _ **You think I haven't tried that, huh?" Maybelline frowned at him."Do you really think that I didn't try to distract the pack, create traps, cover our tracks? They always find us, no matter what I do." She sat back, giving up her efforts for claiming the book back, there was no point to fight with that stubborn idiot. "I really don't understand why they don't say anything," she kept up, feeling pretty hopeless at that point. "Sure, we have to figure that out by ourselves, but how many people passed the pre-test? Three? It doesn't really look like we're setting off to Earth anytime soon, so how about a little hint?"**_

 _ **She remembered the look in Kane's eyes. Maybe it wasn't disappointment, maybe it was just confusion. This was definitely the closest she's ever gotten to the end, but it blew in her face anyway.**_

 _ **"They can't help us," Andrew stated calmly. "Because they themselves don't understand it."**_

 _ **Maybelline squinted her eyes at him - he was using that voice. It was the tone he used when he absolutely, undoubtedly knew what he was talking about.**_

 _ **"What are you talking about?"**_

 _ **"They don't know what we have to do to pass the pre-test. They gave us basic training, but they don't really understand the true purpose of all this. This simulation was created ninety-seven years ago, just like the Rorchack test. And they can't interfere, not even in the selection of candidates. They gave us all the test without adequately having an idea about what factors impact success - the computer simply evaluated the fifty best candidates on its own, no explanation."**_

 _ **Maybelline looked at him, her gaze cynical.**_

 _ **"Is that another one of your conspiracy theories?" she asked levelly. „Like that time you were convinced they bugged us through our bracelets?" She raised her right hand to thrust a metal bracelet to his face. Over the seven years, she had grown so accustomed to it that she hardly even felt it on her wrist.**_

 _ **"Well, now I know for sure that's not the case," Andrew said lightly. "Why do you think I'm telling you any of this so openly? On the other hand, it's not like they're not constantly watching us." He signaled up by moving his chin slightly. Maybelline turned her head a little and in the corner of her eye she saw that one of the guards stood at the other side of the room, his eyes fixed on them. With care, she went through everything that Andrew just told her, because it was starting to feel like he wasn't speaking metaphorically.**_

 _ **"How would you know for sure?" she asked suspiciously.**_

 _ **Andrews gently smiled and jumped to his feet. He walked over to her side of the table and sat down close beside her, putting the open book in front of them on the table.**_

 _ **"Pretend we're studying and please try to refrain from overreacting," he told her in a calm voice, his eyes fixed on the page beneath them.**_

 _ **Maybelline pursed her lips, but looked into the book exactly as she was told.**_

 _ **"Why do I feel that I'm not gonna like this?" she asked softly.**_

 _ **"Because your intuition is one of the few things you're actually good at," Andrew sneered at her provocatively.**_

 _ **"Shut up, Carlyle," Maybelline frowned, nudging him with her elbow. "Tell me how you discerned your paranoia that we live in the world of Big Brother?"**_

 _ **"I got into the system."**_

 _ **Maybelline blinked and her whole body tensed. At that moment, it cost her a lot of effort to not look at Andrew.**_

 _ **"You did what?" She asked with forced calm voice.**_

 _ **"I hacked into the system in the control room of the Ark," Andrew told her, his voice perfectly even. "That's how I know it, May. It's not a theory, none of that. The Rorchack test and everything to do with it is locked, nobody can tamper with it. They can run it, and the system gives them the results, but that's all."**_

 _ **Maybelline's eyes were wide with amazement, but still resolutely focused on the book, without adequately reading a single word on the page.**_

 _ **"Andrew, they could…"**_

 _ **"Float me?" the read headed boy supplied without blinking, casually turning a page. "Nah, they won't find out. It was worth it. I found out the bracelets really just measure our vital functions and keep records. And that even though they might look like they've swallowed all the wisdom of the world, our mentors are as clueless as we are," Andrew chuckled, obviously satisfied. "They have no clue how the system evaluates the results and what exactly we need to do to pass."**_

 _ **"So they don't really understand the purpose of the pre-test."**_

 _ **"They don't," Andrew agreed. "But I do."**_

 _ **Maybelline bit her lip. Suddenly, it wasn't hard to not look at Andrew. In her mind an idea occurred - a horrible one, which she tried to suppress, but it remained there. And she was so terribly ashamed.**_

 _ **Andrew turned to her, eyeing her with his piercing gaze.**_

 _ **"Isn't this the moment when you resolutely forbid me to tell you anything about it?" he wondered, clearly surprised.**_

 _ **Maybelline closed her eyes, but said nothing. She would have done exactly that ten attempts ago. Damn it, she would have done it even one attempt ago. But today… She was so damn sure that she would pass that test and now only had only one hour before the lounge would close and she had to go back in the dormitory to her father… Who would already know she failed once again.**_

 _ **"I would've told you anyway," Andrew said with a quick shrug. "You were trying for a long time and I really want you to pass the test and get that iron bracelet off your wrist."**_

 _ **Maybelline opened her eyes again, but remained silent. She was tensed in anticipation, waiting for him to tell her. Andrew leaned closer.**_

 _ **"You have to leave them behind," he told her softly.**_

 _ **Maybelline blinked. No, that couldn't be right. The instructions clearly said that-**_

 _ **"You have to figure out which one of them bears the cure," Andrew kept on in a low voice. "And when you do, take the backpack and run away. You don't look back."**_

 _ **"That can't be true," Maybelline breathed uncertainly. "The mission clearly says my job is to get doctors in the village alive. At least one of them must survive."**_

 _ **"You have to be farsighted, May, be able to read between the lines," Andrew said calmly. "The Council and mentors may be trying to make soldiers out of us, but Rorchack never wanted that. We are supposed to be survivors, not mindless puppets. Why do you think we were selected? Each one of us fifty had a problem with authority, which made no sense to me at first. But I believe that we were chosen precisely because lowering our heads and listening to what they say it's not in our nature."**_

 _ **"Maybe it should have been," Maybelline spoke up weakly and Andrew immediately locked his eyes with her.**_

 _ **"No, it shouldn't. I don't care what Marcus Kane tells you."**_

 _ **"This isn't about him."**_

 _ **"No?" Andrew raised his eyebrows, but then shook his head, turning back to the book. "Think about it, Maybelline. Yes, you should get them to the village alive, but the pack can't be beaten - not even if you train a hundred years. It's supposed to be like that. It's supposed to teach us that some battles can't be won. But you can alway find another way, the second best option…"**_

 _ **"Those doctors are the only ones who know how to use the drug," Maybelline countered. "Without them, it would be useless."**_

 _ **"But the village has other doctors, right? People who can figure it out? But there is only one cure, May. So what's more important?"**_

 _ **"So I should just… let them die? Just leave them behind?"**_

 _ **Maybelline could still hear their screams echo in her ears. How could someone just turn around and leave without at least trying to help them?**_

 _ **Andrew looked at her. "It's just a simulation, May."**_

 _ **"It doesn't feel that way."**_

 _ **"But it is," he insisted. "It's just a test that needs to be passed to pass another goddamn test. And when that happens, you'll be free. Nobody will be able to force you to do anything you won't like, no one will be standing behind your back on Earth. But you have to do this for us to finally get there."**_

 _ **Maybelline watched her friend for a while. Andrew figured out all of this on his own. Three attempts, that was all it took for him while she just kept blindly following instructions because that was what their mentors constantly beat into their heads for so many years. It was almost a funny paradox that they didn't even know that they were lowering their chances of success by doing just so. But Andrew figured it out. Andrew Carlyle somehow got into the most watched room on the Ark and hacked into the system without anyone noticing. Just like that.**_

 _ **"How is it possible that you haven't already passed the Rorchack test?" Maybelline asked, truly puzzled by the notion. Someone had to be first, it had to be him.**_

 _ **For the first time Maybelline witnessed Andrew's face darken and his eyes harden. A week ago, he failed his fifth attempt, and in three weeks he was bound to try again. That's the was it went - once a month, twelve chances a year.**_

 _ **"I can't get through the final phase," he admitted with something in his voice making him sound very distant.**_

 _ **"What is it?" slipped through Maybelline's lips before she could stop herself. Andrew never looked less like himself than he did in that moment.**_

 _ **He smiled grimly, lowering his eyes. "You'll see…"**_

"It was settled on Earth," Andrew started his explanation with a light tone. "All the signs of civilization vanished, just you in the middle of the forest with a mission to bring five doctors from one village to another, where an epidemic is breaking out. The problem was, however, that you were always attacked by a huge pack of degenerate wolves. I guess Rorchack suspected that animals won't look like they used to, so they really were something else."

"That sounds pretty awesome," Finn exclaimed, absorbing Andrew's every word, looking almost entranced. "Like a real-life computer game."

Computer game. Maybelline never thought about it that way before. The first time she went through the simulation, it scared her to death. It was harrowing, how convincingly real everything looked, even when she tried to remind herself it wasn't. She couldn't wrap her ming around how was it even possible, that she could feel all the wounds on her body so clearly when nothing was physically happening to her. It was more of a traumatic experience than a video game, but who knows? Maybe Collins would feel different if he could try it out for himself…

"Actually, it was pretty creepy," Andrew didn't endorse his enthusiasm any further. "You could really easily forget it's just pretend. Everything was so real, you could feel the wind on your skin, hear your own footsteps and see the smallest details of nature around you. So I don't think you would have liked it so much…"

"Yeah, well," Spacewalker drawled, his expression pensive. "I understand that it must be kinda annoying to get attacked by a wolf that you can't even tell isn't real…"

"A little bit," Andrew smiled. He was probably starting to realize that Finn will never be able to understand how it really felt. Anyone who hasn't experienced it couldn't.

"So that was the pre-test," Collins said, obviously not having ever enough. "And how was the Rorchack test?"

Without properly looking at him, Maybelline could feel how Andrew froze. Sure, he could pretend all he wanted that none of that mattered to him and everyone could know about the things they swore not to tell ten years ago, but the Rorchack test was something they have never even talked about together. It was quite possibly the only taboo on between them and Maybelline was sure that the other participants felt exactly the same.

"Some things aren't worth knowing," Andrew said, trying to sound unconcerned, though his voice was clearly off balance.

Maybelline picked up her pace, they were starting up the mountain now. Possibly nothing could be worse than upset Andrew Carlyle - it was something so unnatural to her as if the sun suddenly turn blue. But the truth was that this time he deserved it. He wanted to talk about their infamous past? So there it was, served him right. Thanks to Andrew, the Spacewalked now knew more - more than Maybelline was comfortable with. And it should be noted that all she was willing to tell people was her name.

"Hey," Finn said as he quickly caught up with her. Andrew was probably not willing to say anything else, so Spacewalked returned to his seemingly new favorite activity - bothering Maybelline Emery.

He began to walk beside her with his eyes glued to her face and hands comfortably shoved into his pockets.

"You look like extra unhappy that I now know all that stuff," he deduced from her expressionless face, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"I don't really care," Maybelline replied coldly.

Finn chuckled.

"Oooh," he drawled knowingly. "That didn't sound like-"

And before he could finish his sentence, his foot slipped on the wet surface and he - thanks his hands tucked away in his pockets - face planted into a mud puddle. Maybelline didn't move a finger to help him, even though she easily could have. Instead, she turned to Andrew, who just caught up with them, paid him a meaningful look.

"I thought you'd keep an eye on him."

Andrew gave a puzzled expression.

"He just slipped."

"You know very well that it was a bad idea to let him come, so admit it," Maybelline pushed on. "We might as well have taken all the others…"

"May, he just _slipped_ ," Andrew repeated emphatically.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Collins spoke up from bellow them, wiping mud from his face. "I'm fine," he exclaimed so loud that Maybelline quickly turned around to check the surroundings. The boy will be the death of them.

Andrew let out an amused chuckle and pulled the younger boy up to his feet by his elbow.

"Try to keep it down, okay?" he chided softly.

Finn quickly dusted himself off, trying to clean the dirt from his face with his sleeve. For some reason, Maybelline quite enjoyed the look of him, all his messy and disoriented.

"You were saying?" she prompted with a sweet smile on her lips.

Finn glared at her, and before he could say anything, Maybelline turned on her heel and continued briskly upwards. This time it was Andrew who quickly trailed after her.

"Aren't you little hard on him?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.

"How about you try not to lecture me every five minutes? Just for a change?" Maybelline retorted.

"C'mon," Andrew teased playfully. "Don't say that you didn't miss it."

"I got tired of it really quickly."

"That _hurt_."

They walked a few more steps and a plateau covered with grass opened before them. At the end of it was a massive door, wedged into the hill, yet still couldn't be overlooked. A surge of excitement rushed through Maybelline at the sight. She was so close.

"Mount Weather?" Finn asked, somewhat unnecessarily.

Andrew nodded. "Looks like one of the side entrances."

They rushed closer, carefully clearing the forest around them, but their surroundings were empty. Maybelline surged towards a small keypad next to the door, pressing in first of the codes, her fingers almost shaking in anticipation.

"You know the combination?" Finn marveled.

„How else did you think we'd get inside?" Andrew turned to him. "That we kick open the door, that survived a nuclear war?"

Maybelline stopped listening to them. It was already the fourth code she pressed in and nothing happened. The seventh... Eleventh... Sixteenth... And the door still didn't budge. Her hand stopped in the air.

"May?" Andrew asked, noticing the concern in her face.

"I have one last combination left," Maybelline let out covertly. What would she do if the door won't open? How was it that the possibility of this happening was just coming to her mind? What if the door won't open? What if…

"So that will probably be your lucky number," Andrew tried to keep an optimistic approach, but his voice was strained. He still had his parents up there, and he definitely wanted to see them again.

Maybelline entered the final combination of numbers, putting her hand away. She waited, but nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.

"Try again," Andrew sounded flatly.

And Maybelline did. She jabbed in seventeen combinations again. And then again. And then once more. And when the door remained closed even there and no green light appeared, she hit the steel with her clenched fist, not even able to feel the impact in her fury.

"That's not possible," she said angrily, her eyes piercing through the door.

"Maybe it just doesn't work anymore," Spacewalker spoke up cautiously.

"It must work, it was built to survive an atomic bomb!" she replied sharply.

"Someone had to change the combination," Andrew said thoughtfully.

"Nobody was alive to change it."

"Grounders also shouldn't be alive, but tell that to Jasper," Finn remarked.

Maybelline turned to him, trying to get hold of herself again. "You're right, they shouldn't. But Jasper was struck by a spear. If Grounders had access to Mount Weather, I doubt they'd be using such a primitive weaponry."

"There must be an explanation to his," Andrew said, his bright eyes absorbing every detail of that damned door - she could see how hard he was thinking.

Maybelline closed her eyes for a moment, pressing her fingers on her temples and started to rub them. Where was the mistake? It wasn't possible for her to enter even one of the combination wrong, she was sure. She _knew_ them. So if the numbers were right and the door should still work, then…

"Hey, guys," Finn said, his voice vague, drawing their attention. He stood at the door, his head titled high up with his eyes locked on a high corner that concealed a dirtied security camera.

"Do you think someone could still be inside?"

All three of them were staring at the unmoving camera almost hypnotized, probably thinking the exact same thing. Was someone looking at them right now?

"It's pretty unlikely that Mount Weather had enough supplies to last a hundred years," Andrew noted. "And according to the studies, the Earth only started being survivable very recently."

"And even if someone did survive, why wouldn't they send a signal?" Maybelline added, not taking her eyes from the camera. "Why wouldn't they come out right now?"

"Well, you're kind of armed," Finn pointed out.

Maybelline didn't know what to think. Her head was full of theories, each one crazier than the one before. But no, they should focus on only one thing. They couldn't open the door to Mount Weather.

Slowly, she bent down to the ground, picking a stone from the grass. And without any warning, she threw it directly into the lens, shattering it with a loud crack.

Finn was startled by her sudden action.

"What was that for?" He turned to her with wide, frantic eyes.

"If there's someone inside, they can't see us now," Maybelline replied levelly. "If they can't see us, they don't know what we're doing. And maybe they got nervous enough to open the door."

"And what if I don't want that door open?" Finn asked, retreating from them immediately, as if it was about to fly open any second now. "We don't know who might be inside."

"If you're scared, you shouldn't have come after us," Maybelline told him flatly.

"I didn't know what I was signing up for," Spacewalker frowned indignantly.

"That's your problem, you're unable to think ahead."

"Do you really have to always be so-"

"Guys," Andrew interrupted their argument, eyes locked at the forest that hovered out above the door and drifted up high into the mountain. „Do you hear that?"

Maybelline did. The sound was pretty familiar and ominous - a silent hiss that was swiftly getting closer.

"What is it?" Finn obviously didn't recognize it.

"Acid fog," Maybelline replied, turning on her heel. "Run!"

Andrew and Finn didn't need to be told twice - they immediately sprinted down the hill chased by a cloud of yellow smoke that was following them mercilessly. The problem was that the fog spread faster down the hill than it did on the plain.

"We won't make it!" Finn exclaimed as we looked over his shoulder while the mist quickly sought after them.

Maybelline held the same opinion. The last cave she spotted that they could use as shelter was seen several miles back - It was impossible to get there in time. In the corner of her eye, she saw Andrew slinging his backpack forward, starting to pull something quickly out of it.

"Come closer!" He shouted at both of them, holding a loose piece of sail in his hands.

Neither Maybelline or Finn hesitated, and once they got close enough, Andrew pulled the tarp over their heads, pulling them down on the ground. They quickly scrolled their ends together so they would be perfectly closed inside. Maybelline twisted around, helping Andrew close all the gaps by pushing pieces of sail under her elbows. For a few seconds, they all remained motionless, waiting for either death or a miracle.

After a while, it was clear that the fog was surrounding them, and although the air inside their little makeshift shelter grew heavy, it didn't burn their skin. Maybelline sighed out in relief, resting her forehead on the ground that they lived to survive another day.

"You're a genius. And your tent is… really cool," she told Andrew resignedly.

"It is, right?" Andrew chuckled, the relief in his voice quite evident.

"Damn," Finn breathed heavily as he tried to turn to face their direction, kicking them both several times before he managed to lie down next to Maybelline. "You just had to smash the camera…"

Maybelline and Andrew exchanged a glance as Finn's words forced them to think over what just happened and why.

"There's no doubt that the fog is a chemical weapon," the black haired girl stated. "But it could be launched automatically. That doesn't prove that someone is inside."

"It could be just a coincidence," Andrew nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe it's defensive mechanism that gets activated when someone gets to close to the base."

"Oh, God," Finn drawled out, his voice low and tired. „We almost just had out skin peeled off by acid fog, how can you two be so damn calm?"

Maybelline looked at Andrew.

„It was your brilliant idea to take him with us..."

"Hey, a moment ago you said I was a genius!"

"Okay, genius. I have a question. How do we know when the fog is gone?"

"Oh..."

"It didn't occur to you to sew a piece of plastic as a window here, huh?"

"Look, May, don't be ungrateful. Don't you remember how long the fog lasted last time?"

"How could I? I was in the cave with Bellamy freaking Blake!"

" _Where_?"

"Shut up, Collins. You shouldn't even be a part of this trip, so stop drawing attention to yourself!"

"Hey, man, ever since you showed up, she's been nothing but angry. I'm blaming you."

"Yeah, well, she's obviously incapable of controlling her emotions when I'm around."

"Seriously, I would prefer to be burned alive by that stupid fog than be trapped here with you two."

* * *

 **Hey there! As always, big thanks to those who read and like my story. :)**

 **Also to my wonderful beta for help!**

 **Make sure you let me know what you think about the chapter and have a nice day. :)**


	9. I Love Earth

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 just my OC.**

 **Forms of writing:**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **I Love Earth**

* * *

Two hours. Maybelline spent two hours squeezed under a sail with Finn and Andrew. So by the time they finally got out, she had had enough. They recognized the moment when they could finally leave by how the air seemed to be a little lighter, and they risked it. Even though they had nearly suffered a dire chemical peel, Maybelline wasn't about to give up. She was aware of other entrances to Mount Weather, and there was no prove that the combinations wouldn't work on one of them. They began to walk back up the mountain, silence stretched around them, perhaps even more stiff than ever. Maybelline no longer wondered why there were so few animals around, now that she had been made aware of a poisonous fog regularly killing everything within a thirty mile radius. They really couldn't choose a better place to land.

"Is this really a good idea?" Finn voiced his qualms, trailing just a few steps behind them.

"You can go back," Maybelline told him, pointing into the direction of the camp.

Andrew chuckled, clutching her hand and putting it down by her side.

"We just survived a toxic fog attack. Does that mean nothing to you? It's like an amazing story we will be telling our grand kids!"

Maybelline rolled her eyes and Finn just shook his head. "How is it possible that you two are friends?" he asked, obviously unable to see that happening at all.

Andrew just blithely shrugged.

"Some things are just meant to be."

"How _philosophical_ ," Maybelline remarked dryly.

"It's true," the red haired boy said and his expression turned serious for a moment. "I'm quite sure that if it hadn't happened, neither of us would be here right now."

Spacewalker passed them with an amused snort, probably thinking that Andrew's declaration was with humor uttered cliche. He had no idea how much truth it held.

They came to a wide river that cut across their path and decided to go up against its flowing waters. As they walked on, Maybelline watched the water wondering if she'd see another one of those mutant snakes that attacked Octavia the first day. But the water in the river was pure and clear as a glass, Maybelline would have surely been able to spot something coming from a mile away.

"Maybe we should take a break," Collins suggested after a while, obviously having a trouble with being silent for too long. "We could take a swim or something."

" _Yeah_ ," Andrew drawled before Maybelline could. "That isn't happening, buddy."

"So I take it she's the boss here?" Finn asked, almost doubtfully, narrowing his eyes. "Really? Little One?"

Maybelline didn't have time to answer to Spacewalker, because the atmosphere around them suddenly thickened. It felt like her sixth sense was triggered, the presence of someone else around was suddenly becoming too obvious. She looked at Andrew, to see if he noticed it too and his tighten jaw was a clear answer.

"Looks like it," Andrew replied calmly, trying to sound casual, but his whole body was strained.

Maybelline swept her eyes across the adjacent shore, focusing on the treetops. The leaves on them were shaking a little too much for just the light wind.

"Maybe we could vote on it," Finn spoke up again with a provocative smile, obviously blunt to everything that was currently happening.

And as he stopped talking, a sharp whiz flew through the air and Maybelline registered how Andrew jumped on Finn, pinning him to the ground. The arrow of the enemy thudded into wood of a tree trunk in a place where the young Collins had his head a mere second ago.

It was like when they were attacked first - time ceased to exist. Maybelline pulled a gun out and aimed it to where the arrow came from, detecting a camouflaged figure hidden in the foliage. She pulled the trigger and hit the target. But before the body of the attacker could hit the ground, something else hurtled through the air. Maybelline quickly hid behind a tree trunk, feeling it vibrate when it was hit with two more arrows. There must have been two other attackers. She peeked out from her cover, searching the trees. Now that she knew what to look for, it was ridiculously easy to find the other hidden Grounders.

She fired out twice and didn't miss.

A deathly silence fell upon them. There were no more whizzing arrows, there was nothing, not a single leaf moved. Maybelline returned to the safety of the trunk, pressing her back up against the bark and lowering her eyes to the ground. Andrew and Finn still laid down, half hidden in the grass, their concerned glances remained locked on her. She silently motioned them to stand up and indicated the direction the'd go. Andrew nodded in understanding, pulling the petrified Collins up to his feet. Maybelline bounced off the tree, clutching Andrew's wrist and dragging him along behind her. They hunched down and moved directly into the tall grass, hidden and away from the other bank of the river. She was anxiously expecting to hear steps of pursuit, but she heard nothing. Three Grounders were dead. And with a little luck, that was the entire group around today.

"Maybelline..." Andrew whispered, a few minutes later, when they still walked with a careful crouch through the woods.

"Not now," Maybelline cut him off. She couldn't concentrate on the concerns in his voice, she had to stay in full focus. Any distraction could be dangerous, fatal. They weren't far enough yet.

"You didn't even hesitate," Andrew let out, his voice small and appalled.

And there it was. Her distraction. Maybelline let go of his hand, which until this moment she was firmly clutching, and turned to face him. His usual carefree expression was gone and newfound tension made his always so focused eyes seem completely lost. The adrenalin that consumed her during the attack slowly began to fade. And now here she stood in front of her best friend and the frightened boy who was leaning wearily on his knees, after she killed three men without flinching. And even now, second thoughts were at a loss to her…

"We could've been dead if I did," Maybelline replied severely.

Andrew studied her face, looking really anxious in the process.

"But... it's still a human life, May. You should have…"

Maybelline couldn't believe her ears. Was he seriously questioning her actions in this very moment? After they nearly just died? Was this another 'You could always do it better' moment? That was a low blow, and an imperfectly timed one.

"How can you...?" she started angrily, but then quickly made herself calm down. "You weren't there," she told him flatly, her blue eyes narrowed. "You weren't there when they struck Jasper in the chest, Andrew. Without warning, just like that. If they didn't hesitate, why should I?"

Andrew raised his hands in the air, noticing the defensiveness in her voice. "Okay, okay, you're right. I'm not blaming you - you just saved our lives. I just... damn it... Are you okay?"

Maybelline turned and started to walk again.

"I'm fine," she said simply.

"May..." Andrew reached out to stop her, but Maybelline avoided his hand, recoiling away from him.

"Seriously, I am," she pressed with a firm voice, looking at the read headed boy. "And that's bad, isn't it."

"No. No, it's not," he assured her quickly. "Not really. It's going to be okay." Andrew glanced over his shoulder to check on Finn, who was now sitting under a tree trunk, drinking water from his bottle like it was a booze. "You've never killed anyone before, so it might take a while."

Maybelline stared at him blankly.

"You know very well that's not true."

Andrew pressed his lips together.

"Okay," he said quietly. "You've never killed anyone with your bare hands."

Maybelline didn't understand why it should be any different. Twisting back to the direction they were walking in, she heard the rustle of leaves above her head at the same time as Andrew's warning cry. Jumping aside at the last moment, she just barely avoided an ax, which sliced through the air a few inches away from her face. A large man dressed in heavy furs with painted face nearly landed on her, but he didn't hesitate for a second as he swung his weapon at her with a battle cry, striking away the gun she had automatically pointed at him away from her hand. Maybelline wasn't fast enough to squeeze the trigger. The gun flew away and got lost in the grass, so she quickly reached for her machete suddenly panicked that the Grounder would turn around and pounce on Andrew. But he didn't even spare a glance at the read headed boy, instead surging aggressively against her. It was written in his wild eyes - she was the one he wanted to kill.

She blocked his ax aside when he attacked again, and felt firsthand how strong this man was. Maybelline grabbed her dagger with both hands because at this point she was thinking that it'd be the only weapon he couldn't hit out of her hands. The man screamed savagely again, swinging his ax at her. Maybelline avoided the lunge, and before he could turn, she cut him deeply on the flesh of his exposed forearm he left open for attack. The man didn't even blink when her knife sank into his skin, he only twisted around and kicked his heavy boot into her stomach.

Maybelline lost her balance and fell to the dirt, the Grounder was standing over her in the next second. The black haired girl raised her blade in the air as she watched her enemy raise his ax with both hands above his head and the next second, a knife hit him in the cheek, sinking deeply into his skull, and caused a spray of warm blood to squirt out onto Maybelline's face. The man didn't even make a sound as he collapsed beside her on the ground with a dull thump.

When Maybelline turned her head, she found Andrew standing there a few steps away, with his light blue eyes wide open and his arm still stiffly outstretched as he threw his makeshift knife. Maybelline couldn't even tell if he was breathing or not, he was so paralyzed and still with shock. She slowly pulled herself up and checked around them, sparing a glance at Finn, who stood further away from them, absolutely terrified, and then she looked back at Andrew. It was a bizarre image, seeing him - Andrew, always the collected one - in such state. Maybelline approached him cautiously, putting his outstretched hand down gently by his side once she got close enough.

"It's okay," she spoke up to him softly. "It's over."

Andrew's eyes finally met hers and he just lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Maybelline hugged him back and could clearly feel his body slightly trembling in her embrace. He wasn't crying, he was just... scared and stunned. And that made her think... Was this the accurate reaction? Was this how you were supposed to be the first time you took a life?

"It's okay," Maybelline whispered to him soothingly. "You did what you had to do."

Lifting her eyes, she saw that Finn wasn't in a very different state of mind. If he wasn't regretting coming after them before, he surely must have been now.

"You had a reason," Maybelline spoke up again. "Don't regret anything."

"I don't," came out of Andrew's mouth hoarsely. After a moment, he cleared his throat and let go of her, intertwining his fingers nervously. His eyes looked at the body on the ground and then turned to her. "It was nothing like the sim…" he breathed heavily.

 _Interesting. Seemed pretty similar to me._

"What are we going to do now?" Spacewalker asked as he finally broke out of shock, his voice terrified. "Does this mean war? The Grounders certainly won't like this..."

Maybelline's eyes landed on him.

"They attacked us first, remember? Multiple times and _always_ first," she said firmly. "If someone attacks you, you don't get to ask if fighting back hurts their feelings."

Finn lowered his eyes as he pondered her words in his head. He didn't seem exactly reassured. But right now, she didn't have time to ensure Spacewalker felt morally up to code. She turned back to Andrew, who was staring down at the corpse that lay on the ground without blinking. Maybelline put her hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her, looking straight into his eyes.

"It's going to be alright," she told him in an uncompromising voice that sounded more like an order rather than a reassuring promise.

Andrew smiled weakly, his blue eyes tired.

"I love Earth," he exhaled ruefully.

Bellamy

By the time the end of the day approached, Bellamy was actually quite reconciled to the idea of his lost gun. People listened to him anyway, so he didn't really need it. Plus, it was much easier running the camp without Maybelline Emery in his way. The only problem remained that she still had that damn bracelet on… Well, with any luck on his side, she could be eaten by some mutant bear in her travels and his problems would go away.

"Finn!" Bellamy heard a scream and recognized that prissy shriek at once. The princess wasn't easily overheard.

Casually, he turned around to see what induced Clarke Griffin's dramatics and saw the Spacewalker, filthy and unnaturally disheveled, rush in the camp. He looked like he had a hard day.

Clarke ran to him immediately.

"What happened?" she yelped, while the boy collapsed down wearily on the nearest log he could find.

"The Grounders attacked us," Collins said, loud enough for the other children hear and start to panic. "The whole group."

Bellamy frowned, the damn Spacewalker couldn't even be a _little_ more discreet, could he? He didn't seem to realize the effort it took to keep everyone around calm enough. He stepped closer, wondering who this elusive 'us' included.

"Where are they now?" Jaha asked, immediately starting to looking around like he was expecting a sacking as they spoke.

"They're dead," Maybelline stated matter-of-factly as she came out of the forest, followed by a pale, red headed boy, whom Bellamy hadn't noticed before.

"After all that happened you still went back to Mount Weather?" Clarke asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We did," the black haired girl replied, giving the Spacewalker a meaningful look. "Collins followed after us."

Finn sighed.

"How long are you gonna hold that over me for?"

"Well, now it's clear that Grounders are clogging around the base," the red haired boy noted, sitting down next to Collins. "Whether they're patrolling or their camp is somewhere nearby, I don't know. But I wouldn't recommend any of you hiking near that perimeter."

"I think that after all this no one's rushing to plan any late night moonlit strolls in the forest, Andrew," Clarke told him, and with her arms folded across her chest, she paid everyone around a stern look, almost like she wanted to make sure, that was really the case. When she got to Maybelline, her expression changed to concern. "Are you hurt?"

"What? No," Maybelline replied casually, and when Bellamy looked at her closely, he noticed why their little doctor had asked. A few drops of dried crimson liquid lingered under the black haired girl's ear. When Clarke didn't stop staring at her, she ran her fingers over the stain. „Not my blood, Dr. Griffin."

Bellamy frowned. Looking around, he saw that most children looked scared or nervous. But some of them kept their sights on Emery, and something in their eyes bloomed into something that started to look like… respect.

Well, she did just return to the camp, apparently unshaken, and simply announced that she wiped out the group of attacking Grounders. That was indeed something that could easily impress a crowd of young offenders and Bellamy couldn't allow that to happen.

"So you were attacked quite far from here, right?" he asked loud enough for everyone to hear, leaving no one in doubt of that seemed _incredibly_ convenient to him.

Andrew, the boy who had apparently turned out to be the right hand of the Chosen One, looked up to his little friend, with a very clear 'what the hell is this asshole talking about?' look on his face. Emery, on the other hand, didn't look moved an inch when she placed her impassive gaze on him.

"Your point, Dauntless?"

"This all just seem little off to me," Bellamy kept on, his voice confident. „We've all seen what the Grounders managed to do to Jasper, it's just strange that they attacked you and neither one of you has a single scratch on them."

There was no doubt that his words worked. Because children started to eye the trio carefully, muttering among themselves. Collins looked up to him in disbelief. "Excuse me? Are you saying we're lying?"

Bellamy shrugged.

"I'm just saying how it looks," he said calmly.

"Are you kidding me?!" Finn snapped angrily, rising to his feet.

"Oh, that's alright," Emery spoke up evenly, stopping whatever the Spacewalker's next move was. "It's quite understandable that he came to the conclusion that we just made the whole thing up."

Bellamy squinted, trying to read her expressionless face to see where she was heading with it. And he wasn't alone - even Spacewalker eyed her with a frown, obviously confused.

„Oh yeah, Little One?" he asked impatiently.

"Cause that's exactly what he would have done."

Bellamy felt his muscles tense under her sudden scrutiny, but had to careful to control his expression because the attention of others instantly turned on to him.

"What did you say?" he questioned in a dangerously low voice.

"Did I stutter?" the black haired girl raised her eyebrows. "Don't you have a soft spot for big fake stories?"

Bellamy clenched his hand into a fist. How easy it was for him to forget that Emery knew the truth. She knew about his true motives, why he persuaded all of them to take off the bracelets, she knew what he had _done_.

And she was doing that thing again. When she was looking up at him, and made it feel like she was looking down at him as her eyes were clearly telling him to shut his mouth and get in line. But Bellamy wasn't going to do any of that. If he backed down now, it was over - he would lose his position there. And he certainly couldn't afford something like that.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded casually, basing his arms to his chest. "But since we're having such a nice chat, why don't you tell everyone how you got yourself to that gun?"

Maybelline cocked her head with a sure smile.

"Is there something to talk about?" she uttered, the scorn in her voice clear. Bellamy was really regretting in that moment that he didn't strangle her with his bare hands when he had the chance.

"I want it back," he demanded staunchly.

"That gun was never yours in the first place, Janitor Blake," Emery retorted smoothly.

Bellamy took a step closer with a smirk on his face.

"You were just too scared to have a face off, weren't you?"

Maybelline let out an amused snort, moving in his direction.

„This is coming from _you_?"

"I was-"

"That's _enough_!" Clarke interrupted them sharply, approaching the two. She tried to lay a hand on them and push them apart, but they both avoided her touch.

"No, it's not," Bellamy stated, unimpressed. "Not nearly enough."

"My thoughts exactly," Emery agreed quickly. "It was finally starting to get interesting…"

"You're not in the playground!" Clarke barked, paying each of them a contemptuous look of a caliber that only she could give. "This is serious! We're all alone and in danger! They, _whoever_ they are, are attacking us and you two are bickering over who is the bigger deal?! No one cares!"

Maybelline sighed theatrically.

"I can't even have a conversation here…"

"May," the read headed boy said her name with clear meaning and she surprisingly didn't shot anything sarcastic back.

"Do you actually have something useful to say?" Bellamy turned to the blonde. "Or were you just itching to give another lecture?"

"Why, am I holding you back from one of your reverent speeches?" Clarke retorted pointedly. "Or do you actually have a plan for a change that could really help us?"

"For your information, I do," Bellamy snapped back, turning to the rest of the group that gathered around them. "We had our fun here, but it won't hurt to be careful!" he exclaimed loudly. "The Grounders, whoever those vermin are, grow bolder and bolder each day we're here. From now on, nobody leaves the camp by themselves, always walk in pairs at the very least. No one will be outside at night. Most people have already made some sort of weapon, but those of you who haven't - I suggest you do so and fast. If you don't know how, I'll help you, but nobody in this camp will be unarmed. I also think that it's about time to define the boundaries of the camp. We split into groups and build a wall around the whole perimeter. But never forger - keep your head cool. Nothing threatens us, not when there are so many of us. This is a precautionary measure. Better safe than sorry."

Due of the nodding and determined expression on their faces, Bellamy knew that they accepted their newest reality quite well. After all, no one wanted to end up like that Jasper kid, so in that way, that boy really helped them. Behind his back, he heard a quiet chuckle and didn't have to turn to know from whom it came from.

"You have something to say?" he asked flatly, eyeing Emery who held a smirk on her lips.

"Oh, just a little trifle," she said in a conciliatory tone. "Enjoy all this… while it lasts."

Bellamy frowned when the subtext of her message floated to the surface. _Enjoy until I get the Ark down here, then you're done._ He took a breath to shoot something back, but the black haired girl reached her hand out to the red haired boy who, without her saying anything, pulled out a large ax from his backpack and handed it to her. Maybelline stepped closer to Bellamy.

"Here," she said, pressing the ax to his chest. "For the wood."

Bellamy took the weapon, glaring at her, but she just turned around and, along with Andrew, left him standing there with an axe in his hand. He watched her until she disappeared in the crowd. This wasn't over. For Bellamy, this couldn't be over until he had his gun back and that damn bracelet was off her wrist. And if he was being honest with himself, he doubted whether it would even be over after that.


	10. Human Connection

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Forms of writing:

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Human Connection**

* * *

Maybelline

"Andrew… Andrew, wake up."

The red haired boy turned to his other side with a sigh, as he blinked at her with sleep dusting his eyes.

"Still not a fan of sleeping, huh?" he mumbled thickly.

"Speak for yourself," Maybelline retorted, pulling the sheet of cloth that he used as a blanket off him. "You were rolling around all night."

Andrew rubbed his eyes harshly and looked at her heavily.

"Weren't you having nightmares?" he asked, his voice soft.

Maybelline lowered her eyes to her backpack, reorganizing the contents dutifully whilst simultaneously avoiding Andrew's gaze.

"You already know the answer to that," she muttered, standing up.

The night had passed and still nothing. She didn't have any regrets, any second thoughts, anything at all. That wasn't exactly normal, her head should've at least been a bit despondent, but no. She would have done it all over again without even blinking.

"Come on, we gotta go," Maybelline spurred her friend urgently. "Let's get out of here before Collins wakes up. This time - I will _personally_ cover our tracks."

Just one brief stop by the dropship - that was the plan. Everyone was sleeping outside - that probably had something to do with Blake's 'won't be hiding inside like scared kids' speech, so Maybelline knew they'd be comfortable enough to look around without rousing too much suspicion. After directing Andrew to the higher level, Maybelline bent over in the far corner and slid a panel to the side to grab two bottles of water, which she put in her backpack.

She wasn't surprised when she heard steps behind her; Andrew was known to work swiftly. But as the steps approached closer, she realized that almost a whole minute had passed in silence - Andrew and silence were hardly ever in the same room together.

Maybelline turned her head in alarm at the realization only to find Bellamy Blake standing firmly a few feet away, a serious expression on his face and the ax she gave him attached to his hip. And it was _quite_ clear that he hadn't gone there because he was thirsty.

"It's about time, Little One," Blake announced in a deep voice, pursing his lips and slowly folding his arms across his broad chest.

Maybelline straightened herself up, waiting, but he didn't add anything else.

"… time for what?"

"For dealing with our… situation," Bellamy clarified flatly.

 _Oh, so we have a situation now._

Maybelline had a hard time suppressing her grin.

"You really haven't thought this through, have you, Dauntless? I'm not dazed this time and I _am_ armed - that doesn't sound like your cup of tea," she scoffed, recalling the last time his eyes looked so dark.

Whatever was Blake planning, he obviously had no idea that Andrew was also on the ship. He probably only saw her walk inside and wanted to take his chance - as he would. Maybelline felt like grabbing a seat and getting comfortable just watching him act out this little plan of his.

"Oh, but I have thought this through," he assured her with a smirk. "You can't just shoot me. If you hadn't already noticed - people here have grown quite fond of me and they definitely wouldn't appreciate it."

 _Smartass._

Maybelline suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

 _Here before me stands a man, smug about being liked by a bunch of teenagers._

"Did you prepare that speech, just for me?" Maybelline cocked her head to a side.

Bellamy ignored her remark completely.

"You know what I want," he said, probably attempting menace, taking a step closer. "Two things; your bracelet off and my gun back. And since I'm in the generous mood this fine morning, you can pick one thing to give up voluntarily, and we can call it even."

Maybelline lifted her eyebrows. Was this seriously his entire plan? Because he assumed that she would pick the gun and the rest would be a cakewalk for him? He couldn't possibly believe that she would agree with something like that, she wasn't an idiot.

"How about no?" she offered with a smile.

Bellamy's fingers brushed over his shiny new ax. Was he actually going after her with a weapon she herself gave him a couple hours ago? That boy had no shame at all.

"Then I take them both," he announced firmly, his eyes dark with determination.

Maybelline chuckled but didn't move at all. Her arms were hanging lazily her sides, relaxed. All she had to do was wait it out.

"Don't make this any harder on yourself, Emery," Bellamy tried to push once again. "You're down on choices."

"Is she, really?" a voice came up from above as Andrew casually slid down the ladder, landing easily on his feet. "Isn't that interesting…" He folded arms, his face hard and his knife spinning on his index finger.

Bellamy couldn't quite hide his surprise. He faltered back, outnumbered, and Maybelline moved closer.

"Don't be too hard on him, Andrew," she spoke up evenly, staring him dead in the eyes. "He's got potential, but we gotta remember he's really just a newbie."

She has never seen such an expression on Andrew's face before - never so serious, never so intent. He stopped spinning his knife, clutching it in his hand, his knuckles white, advancing forward foreboding.

"Well, newbie, the next time you try to corner someone," he started, his voice callous and cold. "the most basic thing is to check if they really are alone."

Maybelline's eyes flicked to Bellamy, who obviously had no idea what to do, whether to pick fight or flight, yet wasn't about to let it show.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," he said cautiously trying to instill confidence and humor in his tone.

"Who says there will be a next time?" Andrew retorted harshly.

Bellamy reached for his ax at Andrew's threatening comment, and Maybelline immediately moved closer to stop him, but instead made him back away. She slowly lifted her hands in the air, signifying her caution with a light smirk on her face.

"Easy there, killer," Maybelline told him evenly. She could bet the gun in her hand that Bellamy Blake wasn't used to being the scared mouse in this game. "Don't make this any harder on yourself," she repeated his words as was sort of their custom by now. "I think you'd agree that this would be an ideal opportunity for me to get anything I could want from you. But here's the thing… I need nothing from you. Have fun with your kids while you can, Blake."

Maybelline put her backpack on her shoulder, and before her and Andrew walked out the dropship door, she turned to look at Bellamy Blake once last time.

"Your time is almost up."

xXxXx

They didn't talk. Maybelline didn't speak up until they were far enough from the camp and she checked their surroundings to be sure that they were alone. Then she finally whipped her head to her best friend, a beaming smile on her face.

"You. Were. Amazing!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah," Andrew drawled out slowly, giving her a cocky look on the side. "What else is new?"

"Even I bought it for a moment there," Maybelline playfully shoved him away. "Jesus, Andrew, you actually scared Bellamy Blake."

The red haired boy chuckled.

"The look on his face was priceless."

"You bet!" Maybelline smiled, sighing nostalgically. "Too bad you won't get to do that again."

Andrew looked at her, eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"What? Why not? It's not like anyone else knows who the real bad cop is."

 _Excuse me?_

"Spacewalker does," she reminded him flatly, her mood immediately dropping at his mention. "And if he knows, it's only a matter of time before everyone at the camp finds out."

"Ooh…" His chalk blue eyes widened with realization. "That's too bad."

"Regretting blabbing yet?" Maybelline asked him in a sickly sweet voice, resentment leaking through nonetheless.

"You can't still be mad about that, could you?" Andrew raised his brow along with his question. "What's wrong with a real human connection?"

Maybelline rolled her eyes, reaching around and pulling a map from her backpack, quickly glancing at it.

"Collins could've died… because you wanted to 'connect' with him," she stated with a hint of finality. It was harsh - but it was the truth.

Maybelline saw a hint of hesitation run through his face from the corner of her eye, but this _was_ Andrew, so he said it anyway:

"So instead you just push everyone away for their own safety?" he questioned her with a hidden meaning rolling off his tongue, to which Maybelline gave him a stern look in response.

"Yeah, and mine. I know that you don't want to hear it, Andrew, but that's how it works. Three is a crowd."

Andrew sighed audibly - on purpose, of course.

"It's just like I could hear-"

"Don't say his name," she growled, pushing the map onto his chest. "Here." _Don't say Kane's name._

Andrew took it, examining encircled regions with his eyes narrowed and brows burrowed.

"What's this?"

"Other storages bunkers - that we know of," Maybelline explained.

"Are you telling me Maybelline Emery doesn't already have this memorized? I thought I'd never see the day…" Andrew gave her a sly smile, but then it fell off his face as he came to the realization about why that map was in his hand. "Wait-"

"For all cases," Maybelline interrupted him - this was not the time for a human connection. But apparently, Andrew did not agree.

Instantly and almost panicked, he tried to force it back into her hands.

"I don't want it."

"Don't be a _child,_ Andrew," Maybelline scowled, lifting her hands up, refusing to take it, but he didn't stop there.

"You're not going _anywhere_ , we're staying together, so there's no point-"

"It's a safety measure," Maybelline interjected him flatly, erasing all emotion from her voice. "If anything happens to me, you're gonna get the Ark down here. Or don't you wanna see your parents again?"

Maybelline hit a nerve there, she could tell. Andrew froze in a mid-movement, lost in his thoughts for just a moment, and then he silently leaned away and slipped the map into his own backpack. Maybe she felt a little sorry for playing the guilt card. But she could hardly bring herself to feel sorry when she felt a pride at his weakness - these days it was hard to find anybody who loved and thought so highly of their parents as Andrew did.

"Good boy," she didn't spare him her clever comment - sparing him would only make it worse.

" _Shut up_ ," he grunted as he strode ahead.

xXxXx

Bellamy

Bellamy punched a boy in a face today and it was completely Emery's fault. Most of the children were okay with some work, they were prepared to do whatever it took to feel safe again. But there was almost a hundred of them, so, of course, troublemakers were to be expected. Bellamy wasn't naive when it came to that; he was ready to handle whatever would come up… smoothly. However, after his little meeting with the Chosen One and her bodyguard - he wasn't able to do anything smoothly.

He was no stranger to humiliation, but that was supposed to end with his arrival on Earth. He was the oldest and strongest one there. He was looked up to, feared, respected, so how could a girl of such a short stature make him shake in his boots? Suffice to say, Bellamy was cursing himself for a remainder of that night that he didn't get that bloody bracelet off her damned wrist when she was unconscious in that cave. What the hell had he been thinking?!

In the midst of his angered reverie, some sixteen-year-old with a bloated ego had started to saunter around, announcing that he didn't have to listen to _anybody,_ and the whole thing escalated really quickly. It was actually Murphy's fault - he supposedly pushed the kid around till he couldn't handle it anymore. Bellamy had already been itching to say something to him about pushing the kids too hard. He wasn't exactly sure what kind of twisted superiority complex that guy was playing out, and he frankly wouldn't care if it wasn't interfering with the peace -a couple more stressed out kids pushed over the edge could very well start a rebellion. Bellamy violently shook the thought out of his head, trying to calm down. But then he spotted Murphy walking in his direction.

"Hey, Bellamy."

"What is it?" Bellamy asked, pushing off the wall of the dropship, whilst rubbing his sore knuckles.

"The breaks you're giving them - they're too long," the younger boy said indifferently. "We should set some sanctions for those who are slacking off."

 _What about you then?_

"They're doing their best, Murphy," Bellamy responded firmly, basing his arms - they were just kids, after all. "It's going better than I thought it would. Stop pushing so hard."

Murphy frowned, flashes of fire in his eyes.

"If we don't push them - they will riot," he retorted irritably, his lips in a snarl. "How long before they get tired and just bolt out on their own? We have to make sure that doesn't happen!"

Bellamy gave the younger boy a hard look.

"Are you telling me what to do, Murphy?" he asked him, his voice dangerously low.

"I'm not," Murphy snapped back as the pitch of his voice got higher. "I just wanna be sure that our plan remains unchanged."

 _That plan was never yours._

"The plan hasn't changed," he assured him stonily, trying to forcefully bring to his understanding that he was the one in charge.

"Is it?" Murphy shot back, his tone mocking. "Last time I checked - that pretentious black haired bitch still had her bracelet on."

And that was it. Bellamy grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and slammed him hard into a titanium wall of the dropship, boring straight in his eyes.

"Anything else you wanna say to me?" he asked him quietly, his tone making it perfectly clear that replying would be a _mistake_. "Go ahead, don't be shy."

Murphy froze in place, all he could do was look back at Bellamy with his lips pressed firmly together. He didn't dare make a sound.

"No? So listen very carefully, Murphy," Bellamy spoke up again, his voice still hushed. "Don't forget who you're talking to. I gave you the power, and I can easily take it back. Stop bullying everyone around just because you can and do something yourself - I haven't even seen you lift a stick. And next time; watch your mouth."

Bellamy shoved the younger boy away from him and he spun around and left wordlessly. They weren't finished and he knew it. Murphy wasn't the kind to listen to some lecture - he needed something akin to a hard hit on his snide little face. Perhaps Bellamy should have punched him, yet it was too late for that.

"He is really mean," a small voice sounded behind his back as he mindlessly wandered away.

Bellamy turned around and saw Charlotte standing a few steps away. She was looking up at him with her gray eyes, motionless like a statue.

"He is," Bellamy agreed gruffly and leaned against the wall again. "Hopefully he'll grow out of it."

 _But I honestly doubt it._

"Maybe he was born that way," Charlotte murmured, her eyes seemed to be lost in their darkness. "Some people are… different."

Bellamy frowned, not really sure what to make out of her comment. "You don't have to worry about Murphy," he told her confidently.

 _I'm gonna keep him in line._

"I don't," Charlotte uttered bluntly and spun around.

Bellamy watched her leave. There was something on her that he wasn't quite able to pin. She was acting strange… However, she was the youngest one and had a bad past, so he decided it wasn't anything he really needed to worry about. Everybody had been affected by their lives somehow. Even Charlotte. Even Murphy… Even Bellamy.

xXxXx

The rest of the day passed without incident. Everything was going neatly, people were working thoroughly, Murphy was maybe glaring around at everyone but kept his mouth shut for the most part. Bellamy couldn't help but thought that every minute without Emery was a blessing. Seriously. Who cared about the gun? She could have it, if it meant he would get her out of his life.

Up to that day, there were only three people with their bracelet still on and she was one of them; Bellamy personally checked. Before long, she would be the only one, and what were the odds that the Ark would land here, having only one survivor of their little experiment? From what he knew, they couldn't get into Mount Weather and their line of communication was broken. Maybelline Emery couldn't contact her beloved Council unless she could carve out a radio transmitter from wood; Bellamy had practically won. And with the Grounders in the forest, there was a quite a big chance that soon he wouldn't have to worry about Emery and her little ginger friend anymore.

The sun was just starting to set as he was tying two logs together on the ground when a shadow loomed over him. Bellamy lifted his eyes only to meet Clarke Griffin's stern face.

"Where's Maybelline?" the blonde asked with her arms folded tightly across her chest and her two best friends standing behind her back. Since when had she and Jaha started talking again, anyway?

"How would I know?" Bellamy replied distractedly, going back to his work. "And more importantly - why would I care?"

The Spacewalker walked around him and stepped into his field of vision. "Jasper saw you walking out of the dropship only moments after she and Andrew left," he told him with narrowed eyes, and almost out of breath from the intensity of his questioning. "Did she tell you where she was going?"

Bellamy sighed, rose and straightened, making himself taller than young Collins ever could be.

"Maybe she did," he announced bluntly. If they were going to get on his nerves, the least he could do was return the favor.

Finn was watching him with squinted eyes, trying to wait him out and see if what he was saying was true, but Clarke didn't have the patience.

"What kind of stupid game are we playing here?" she snapped up at him.

"Forget him, it's not worth it," Wells shook his head and moved a hand to Clarke's shoulder in an attempt to pull her back and calm her down. "She'll be back - they left their tent behind."

"That's exactly what Maybelline would do to confuse us," Collins argued vehemently. He apparently knew the mysterious girl better than anyone else at the camp. Or at least he thought so.

Bellamy was looking from one to another, ready to ask them to have their redundant argument somewhere else - but Wells was faster.

"Maybe she left us," he blurted out suddenly, and Bellamy kept his fingers crossed at the statement.

"Or maybe she's dead," Clarke threw in indifferently. "Maybe they both are. Whatever," Princess shook her head and with her fists clenched, she started to walk away. "Some people really aren't worth the trouble."

Wells followed as quickly as he could, and Collins began in the same direction, but not before twisting around to Bellamy one last time:

"You belong in that category," he informed him and then tripped over a piece of wood that laid in his path.

Bellamy chuckled among others who saw that perfect departure; this day way getting better and better. Then he realized that he jumped the gun, observing as the lanky kid with googles that almost died haphazardly rushing towards them.

"They came back!" he exclaimed breathlessly, a smile tearing his face apart.

H caught a glimpse of a leather jacket and that ridiculous corduroy thing the red haired boy was wearing, and just like that, it was official. Bellamy Blake's good mood was gone.

Maybelline

There was a crowd waiting for them when they got back to the camp. Not because they had missed them so eagerly or found them overly interesting - it was because they brought two bulking bags with something unknown.

"What's in it?" some girl from the crowd asked and was identified by Maybelline immediately as Fox Burrow, a fifteen-year-old who stole five bottles of water from the warehouse up in the Ark.

"It's not food, so take it easy," Maybelline told them with a defensive hand up as they moved closer in on them.

She and Andrew put their bags on the ground, and he unzipped one of them, reviling the content for everyone who was close enough to catch a glimpse.

"Are those real blankets?" Monty Green gasped, and a loud murmuring of shock started right after.

"Hey, slow down," Maybelline stepped forward to stop those who were shoving for a better look. "There's not enough for everyone. Those will be properly divided," she announced loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"And who's gonna decide who gets one? _You_?" a boy named Dax stepped closer, a deep frown etched into his face. "That doesn't seem fair."

Maybelline was on the edge of her patience. She and Andrew spent hours underground, going through every inch of that old storage bunker without finding anything really useful. The end of her mission was nowhere in sight and she really wasn't in the mood to bicker with some teenage imbecile. She went back into the bag and pulled out one of those surprisingly good blankets.

"You want it?" Maybelline questioned in an icy cold voice, holding it out bare for him. "Go ahead, take it."

In the corner of her eye, she could see that Andrew had also stepped ahead. It lifted her mood a bit, when she saw him pull out his knife and began spinning it around on his finger, faster than anyone would be able to. Although, when she took note of Spacewalker's confused expression, she could assume with an ease that this was probably the last time Andrew would be able to pull that off.

Dax glanced around for some support and when it didn't come, he stayed in his place, hands deep in his pockets.

"No?" Maybelline drawled out with a fake smile. "Finder's right, then."

"The youngest ones get the blankets," Andrew announced with his 'strong' voice - which proved to be surprisingly effective.. "And I wouldn't be stealing them if I were you," he warned.

Maybelline's eyes swiftly scanned through the flock and found a blonde girl in the back.

"Clarke," she called to her, holding the blanket out for her. This time sincerely.

"Since when is she among the youngest here?" another boy protested loudly as the Princess walked past him.

"Yeah, why does she get the blanket?" some girl Maybelline couldn't see wanted to know.

"Oh, I don't know," Maybelline rolled her eyes, tipping her head to the side in faux thought. "Why exactly would I want to keep the closest thing we have to a doctor alive and well?"

She handed the blanket to Clarke, ignoring the glares she was getting from some of the teens.

"Where did you get those?" Griffin asked, furrowing her brows.

"A simple thanks would suffice," Maybelline assured her sarcastically and proceeded to walk around her to continue her announcement. "And the next winner of this ancient blanket is… Peter Tesla!"

Maybelline knew all about the hundred - their dates of birth included, so the distribution was really simple in that way. As it went, and the older children started to mumble, Andrew didn't forget to warn them again about stealing, twisting his knife around menacingly. Maybelline couldn't help but notice that he was making enemies as fast as she was. But unlike her, he was able to get them back on his side in a second if he wanted to.

"There is only one left," he observed as he pulled it out. Most of the children had already walked away by now, there were only three children nearby, waiting anxiously to be picked next.

"Want it?" Andrew offered Maybelline nonchalantly, probably knowing she would refuse.

"Nah," Maybelline shook her head, mentally going through the list in her head. "The next one up is Octavia Blake."

 _How convenient. When I think about it, I would like the blanket…_

"Well, she's not here," Andrew remarked fleetingly as he searched the crowd and suddenly, there was a smirk on his lips. "Do you wanna leave it with her big brother?" He nodded in the direction where the older Blake was hovering.

Maybelline made a face. "Don't you? You could spin your knife, play a tough guy…"

"Actually, I overheard Finn talking to some of the others…" Andrew's face dropped and he lowered his eyes to the ground in mock-sadness. "I'm afraid my gangsta days are over."

Maybelline wasn't quite paying attention to him, it was all background noise as her eyes followed Blake talking to a little blonde girl, who was showing him her new blanket, her gray eyes pinned to his face. They were really perfect for each other…

"Screw the rules," Andrew decided. "Maybe we should give it to Finn. He went through a lot lately…"

"Maybe you should marry him."

"Oh, jealousy doesn't look good on you at all, Maybelline."

* * *

 **Hi! I know it's been a while, but I'm back! :)**

 **Let me know what you think about the chapter and have an amazing day!**


	11. The Bright Side

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Forms of writing:

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **The Bright Side**

* * *

Even though the water before her was turbid, Maybelline could still see the despair lining her eyes in her reflection. Or maybe it was just her imagination.

"Look at the bright side," Andrew threw in with a light voice somewhere behind her. "We still have one more bunker to check, right?"

Maybelline chose to ignore the remark completely since otherwise, it wouldn't end up well for either of them. She could hardly recall the last time she found her best friend's voice so irritable; did he always have to be so nauseatingly positive?! They had just found out the bunker they walked hours to get to was no longer there. Instead, they were looking at a large lake that wasn't even supposed to exist. There was no bright site - there was a bottomless dark pit and then nothing at all.

And yeah, there still was the last storage bunker. But there was also a reason why Maybelline put it last on the list. The way there and back would take them at least for days, and even with that, according to their information, it was the smallest one of all. They found nothing in the previous bunkers except for some blankets, old medical equipment, flashlights and other tiny, menial things - nothing that could help them with bringing the Ark down. The chances that the last one on the list would be the lucky find - which definitely sounded like something Andrew would say - were thin to say the least.

"May?" Andrew spoke up again with a grin that not even their hapless situation could foil. "Giving the lake your death stare won't make it disappear. Nice try, though."

Maybelline ignored him once more. She had to stay focused, no matter how distracting Andrew was trying to be. She was running out of options and the clock was ticking. The Council wouldn't risk landing here without proof that the Earth was survivable - not unless they were really desperate. And Maybelline knew that it'd take a lot for them to get that desperate. If they didn't hear back from them and soon, their natural next step would be to float more people to save up on oxygen. They will stall as long as they can…

"Hey," Andrew reached out to poke her in the shoulder playfully, but she avoided his touch and started to walk ahead. He tailed after her quickly. "You're upset - I get it. But still… you're walking in the wrong direction," he pointed out.

"We're going back to Mount Weather," Maybelline announced, in the tone that wasn't allowing any discussion.

Andrew, as always, paid no mind to any tone she took and stepped squarely in her path with his hands outstretched with the purpose of stopping her.

"Wait, what?" he frowned. "The Grounders-"

"You don't have to go with me," Maybelline interrupted him swiftly and attempted to walk around him. "Oh no. You think this is over?" Andrew ruefully chuckled and swiftly caught her wrist. "I don't think so."

"Stop it, Andrew," Maybelline growled, trying to get out of his grip. "Mount Weather is our best shot and you know it! We can't waste any more valuable time looking for more stupid blankets!"

"It's also kinda suicidal?" Andrew noted, refusing to let go of her hand. "Twice. Twice we got close the borderline and twice were we attacked. Now, I don't know about you, but that sends a pretty clear message to me. And even if you were to somehow get through, you don't know how to get inside."

"There are other entrances in the mountain!"

"All of which, I'm willing to bet, are password protected and across enemy lines."

"It's all we have left!"

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes, it is!"

Maybelline finally managed to tear her hand out of his grasp and quickly tried to get a hold of herself again. There was no point in getting angry, screaming wasn't going to help her. Andrew was examining her with his bright blue eyes and she knew he wasn't going to stand back, that wasn't in his nature. On the other hand - it wasn't in hers either.

"Think about it," she told him evenly. "We've had so many opportunities… If there was something useful out there, don't you think we'd have found it by now?"

"We found _plenty_ ," Andrew protested.

"We found nothing," Maybelline scoffed, exasperation expanding in her chest. "Nothing that would help us contact the Ark, nothing that would help us get our people down here."

"Listen, I know you want the Ark down here as soon as possible," Andrew said, his voice patronizingly propitiatingly. "but look around, will you?"

Maybelline did, but nothing was there. A thick, heavy silence hung in the humid air that was surrounding them, there was not a single living thing around.

"This whole area is dead," Andrew emphasized. "And similar ones are all around, haven't you noticed?"

"Yeah," Maybelline frowned. "Your point?"

"The Earth can still kill us," he began, his tone unusually serious. "How do you know for sure it won't? It's still too soon to tell - what if the Ark rushes down here to die like our ancestors did?"

"At least, in that case, everyone would have the same shot," Maybelline blurted out in response.

Everyone would have the same chance of survival… unlike the people up in the Ark who would be executed if she won't be able to connect with them soon.

"What are you talking about?"

Maybelline lifted her eyes to Andrew, whose brows furrowed, and she realized that he knew nothing. He didn't know about the glitch in the Ark's system, how could he? He had spent the last year of his life in the Skybox, alone and isolated from everything. He had no idea what was at stake for all of them, and Maybelline didn't feel like telling him.

"Nothing," she waved it out, turning around swiftly in order for Andrew not to notice her lie and started to march on. "I'm going back to Mount Weather tomorrow," she decided, her voice unbent and unbroken. "With or without you."

xXxXx

They were returning to the camp separately - not purely because the mood between them was tense, but Andrew had also wanted to refill their supply of the sweet-scented leaves and Maybelline blatantly refused to go with him.

She was thinking about his words the whole way back and decided that even if Andrew was right - it changed nothing for her. Either they'll die up in space or down on the Earth, it wasn't any different, so her plan remained unchanged. The Earth wasn't dead, it was still recovering. They were going to survive, they always did.

Maybelline was snatched out of her thoughts by the sound of a fight brewing. Multiple voices contorted through multiple volumes, and even down she couldn't quite understand what anyone was saying it was obvious there was a struggle. A few more steps forward led Maybelline right into a clearing, where right across from her were four boys in a messy altercation of sound and brawn. To be precise - three boys were pinning down the last one down to get the bracelet off his wrist. With that realization, Maybelline lunged forward to step in - but it was too late, the bracelet clicked and fell off into the grass. Now with cheer lining their chests, the attackers let the unfortunate boy go, and it was then that Maybelline finally caught a glimpse of the victim's face. That told her two things - the boy's name was Miller, and he had tears in his eyes.

The sight made Maybelline flare up with injustice, her tightly controlled sense of passivity shattered under the mass of how cruel humans could be -as if she was somehow impervious to the infection that stained them as contributors to their faux society.

"Three to one," Maybelline spoke up loudly, basing her arms across her chest. "Real brave." _Pathetic._

She gave them each a disgusted look as they turned around to meet her sudden interjection. One of them was Murphy - of course. Then there was Dax, which also didn't surprise her and the last one was Luke. Despite the initial startle, John Murphy seemed to get over it pretty quickly.

"What a coincidence, we were just about to look for you," he announced, pointing at her with his makeshift knife he had used to break off Miller's wristband a few seconds ago. In light of Murphy's menace and Maybelline's rebellion, the previously overpowered boy lifted himself off the ground and ran away from the scene in the middle of the forest.

"Yeah!" Dax stepped forward, a smirk on his face. "You're next."

"Well, I'm right here," Maybelline noted, throwing her hands up as if to present herself as the sacrificial lamb. "But you should probably go get some backup… you know? To make this fair."

Maybelline had had enough - and that was obvious from the tone of her voice. She was fed up with those brats, it was on. When he heard the obvious threat in her words, Luke immediately twisted around and bolted. He was only fifteen years old, so it was quite possible that he was talked into this little action, or maybe he ran back to camp to get Bellamy, his great commander. Maybelline found herself almost wishing he'd come - she was just in the mood to settle their little situation, once and for all.

"So brave," Murphy drawled out sarcastically, evidently unfazed by one of his buddies leaving the scene in a hurry. "It's easy to have a big mouth with a gun on your belt, isn't it?"

Maybelline smirked. Maybe he wasn't as dense as she originally thought. She had to give it to him - he had a way with words, and so she decided to humor him and pulled the gun out of the holster on her hips.

"You want it?" she smiled, waving the gun around in front of him.

And Murphy did want it. It was written all over his face, with bold letters. They had thirty feet of the clearing between them, and with that in mind, Maybelline threw the gun between them as she kept a steady eye on Murphy.

"Go get it."

Murphy pounced on it like a lion would its prey, just as Maybelline had predicted - but she was way faster than him. She managed to pick the gun from the ground and knee him in the stomach in the same time, causing him fall hard on his back, with the wind knocked out of him. Maybelline straightened herself up, as if nothing had happened, and tucked the gun back into her belt as her eyes fell on the last boy standing. The whole thing had occurred over the course of a few seconds, and Maybelline noted that Dax hadn't even moved from his spot.

"What about you, Dax? You wanna bail yet?" she asked him almost lightheartedly. "Oh wait, your inflated ego wouldn't let you do that, though, would it? Takes a lot of guts to beat down those younger or weaker than you, doesn't it? You think you're tough? You're nothing."

Maybelline wasn't even thinking about her words, she would say anything to make him move - and it worked. His face turned red, and with his hands squeezed into fists, he lunged forward like a furious bull.

"You'll regret opening your mouth, you stupid bitch!" he growled and tried to punch her in the face.

Needless to say, Maybelline dodged his attack and a few seconds later, Dax had his face pressed down to the ground and his right arm twisted behind his back in painful angle. It was almost surprising to her how right it felt to her. Those kids didn't deserve a second chance that had been given to them, not all of them anyway.

"You wanna apologize?" Maybelline asked with her toneless voice, pulling his arm to a more excruciating angle, making him cry out. "Sounds like you wanna apologize."

An inch later, Dax's screams were even louder.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

She let go of him at the sound of his submission, and he scrambled to his feet hurriedly and ran away clutching his injured arm with a mouth full of curses. Maybelline didn't even have time fully appreciate the image as Murphy jumped on her back, dropping them both to the ground. They rolled around in the ensuing struggle, him underneath her, and she had to flip them both over and wrap her arm around his neck, placing him in a chokehold.

"You're so full of rage, Murphy, all the time," she told him quietly into his ear, tightening her grip. It was the truth - he was always angry. Always unsatisfied, always frustrated, Maybelline only ever saw a smile on his face when he had the upper hand over someone else. But now she was in control and it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

"Don't you get tired of it?"

The boy just growled something under his breath, trying desperately to break free from her grasp. It was hopeless, he couldn't scratch his way through her leather jacket and she had her arms firmly locked up. Maybelline couldn't stand the guy - not even the idea of him. And it wasn't just because he was a bully, an asshole who thought he could do just about anything, but because in the end, their stories weren't really all that different. That's what Maybelline despised the most - the sneaking understanding that there was a reason behind his behavior; the possibility that if a few things had happened differently she would be just like him. She hated him because she had to live with knowing that. And maybe, if she could be honest with herself, she was too biased to objectively judge which one of them was coping better.

"Are you done playing yet?" came a grave voice, and Maybelline lifted her eyes only to find Andrew standing a few steps away from them, arms crossed, face empty and his blue eyes full of pure judgment.

Maybelline let go of Murphy, shoving him away and stepping aside wordlessly. For the first time in those few moments, Maybelline thought about what could have happened if Andrew hadn't shown up just then.

John Murphy rubbed his neck harshly while walking away backwards, his hateful eyes still locked with hers.

"We're not done!" he hissed at her and left their sight.

No one was ever done with her, apparently.

Maybelline turned back to Andrew, who just stood there, staring at her, unnaturally quiet.

"He started it," Maybelline informed him since she noticed he wasn't going to quit staring any time soon.

Andrew just shrugged indifferently.

"Not saying a word."

The look on his face said more than enough; and yet she didn't have to explain herself to him, right? So why did she even want to?

"He and his friends jumped some kid to take his bracelet off."

"I'm not saying anything, May."

Maybelline frowned deeply.

"But you're staring, that's enough."

Andrew tilted his head to a site and took a tired breath.

"I don't like Murphy, I really don't," he told her evenly. "I think he needs to be put in line. But I'm not sure you should be the one who puts him there."

He … disapproved? Seriously? She took a stand to a bunch of attackers and he still came at her with his everything-can-be-done-in-a-better-way attitude?

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked him bitterly.

Andrew unfolded his arms and sighed, probably seeing the downfall of this conversation already. Maybelline could see it too.

"I just… I want you to be careful," he said calmly. "Don't turn into another Bellamy Blake."

 _Oh, no, he didn't just say that._

Seeing the expression on her face, Andrew quickly added:

"I'm just worried, May… You're upset and frustrated right now, and you shouldn't be doing things just because you can."

It sounded horrible when he put it that way - somehow implying that Maybelline was some sort of tyrant that took out her bad mood on a bunch of teenagers. Did he really see her that way?

"You know what? Why don't your keep your clever lectures to yourself?" Maybelline offered coldly.

"Wait… Listen." "I don't remember asking for an opinion, Carlyle."

"I know you think you did a right thing," he spoke up firmly, ignoring her comments completely. His pastel blue eyes were piercing and she hated it. "And you did. But you'd be lying if you said you didn't enjoy it as well. That's the problem."

Maybelline stared at him for a second, unable to believe what she just heard. In a flash, Andrew managed to turn this whole thing around and suddenly, she was the bad guy. Maybelline felt her heart sank a little, even though she would never admit it.

"Screw you, Andrew," she told him in an icy cold voice before turning around and walking away.

"Maybelline… Maybelline, wait!" Andrew was calling after her but she didn't stop. She wouldn't.

Maybelline was walking through the camp, far away from him as possible. She didn't want to see him for the rest of the day, that was for sure. This was probably their first big fight since they landed here and Maybelline couldn't help herself to remember their last argument - the biggest fight they ever had, and the most important one. Yes, they could pretend like it never happened - that was the deal, after all - but it was still there, hidden deep inside, and Maybelline thought about it every time she was angry with him. She thought about what Andrew did, what sent him straight into the Skybox.

She tried to shake the thoughts away -it was all in the past, wasn't it? She couldn't afford to let this consume her -every distraction was her enemy, but weakness feathered through her and she felt the weight of her failures press down on her - she was failing, and no one could help her. Not even Andrew - he never could, not even before...

 _ **Her hand stopped as it danced over the doorknob. For one second, she let herself to be consumed by her own imagination. For one second, she let herself believe that she didn't have to open that door ever again. That she could just turn around, walk away and never come back. One brief second…**_

 _ **"I'm pretty sure that your dad'll still love you, you know?" Andrew's carefree chuckle almost startled her, she almost forgot he was still there. "You failed, so what? Everyone else did. It's not the end of the world."**_

 _ **Sometimes it felt to Maybelline like Andrew was living a fairytale. His life was so perfect, every bit of it was just flawless; he had everything. He was going to be the first one who would pass the Rorchack test - Maybelline knew it, she's known for a long time… If it was at all possible, she'd switch places with him in a heartbeat.**_

 _ **"There is a reason for the pretest, you know?" Andrew spoke up again, gosh, that guy just didn't know when to shut up. "It is supposed to prepare us, so it probably takes more than one try. Or did you think were that special?" the red haired boy had a mocking smirk on his lips. Maybelline let go of the doorknob and lifted her eyes to him with a sigh.**_

 _ **"Care to tell me why are you still here? Don't you have anything better to do besides annoy the hell out of me?!"**_

 _ **Andrew let out a chuckle, but took a step back with his hands up in the air.**_

 _ **"Don't sweat it, May," he told her and then disappeared behind the corner. Maybelline suddenly wished that he was still there, right next to her. She wished it with all her heart - but he wasn't there. Nobody ever was.**_

 _ **Maybelline reached out for the doorknob and turned it. She walked in her dormitory and made her way through the small hallway that led right to the kitchen. Her father was already there, sitting at the table, his eyes lowered to the ancient coin he was turning between his finger.**_

 _ **"You failed," fell bluntly from his lips. It was nothing but a cold statement, completely emotionless and calculated reciting of events. He knew, of course, he knew. As a member of the Council, he probably found out the second she failed to pass the pretest.**_

 _ **"Everybody failed," Maybelline spoke up quietly, regretting it the second it escaped her lips. By now, she should know better than backtalk him, but she couldn't help herself. There was something, something small deep inside of her that still believed that this… situation… they were living in was going to change. That the time would fix all and everything would be okay again. Ethan Emery lifted his head to face her, and one look into his bleak gray eyes told her how foolish she was to even think that.**_

 _ **"I'm not interested in other people's business," he snapped at her, suddenly angry. "You shouldn't be either! Or have you learned nothing?!"**_

 _ **This time, Maybelline kept her lips pressed firmly together. She waited until he had slightly calmed down and placed his hateful eyes on her again.**_

 _ **"I saw you with that Carlyle boy again," Ethan spat out bitterly. "Do you care about him?"**_

 _ **"No," Maybelline lied without hesitation.**_

 _ **"Of course, you do!" her father retorted mockingly, his voice rising again. "It doesn't matter how many times I tell you - you never listen! You care and that makes you weak!"**_

 **That's not the truth. That's not… what mom used to say.**

 _ **"Don't care, Maybelline! Don't be weak!"**_

 _ **"I am not weak."**_

 _ **And there it was again. The response slipped out of her mouth unwillingly, like a self-destructive tendency. Her father's eyes gleamed, almost glad at the act of the defiance that would give him the opportunity to exact his revenge, and Maybelline knew then that she was the most foolish girl alive.**_

 _ **"You aren't, huh? Prove it," Ethan stood up, pulling out handcuffs and tossing them on the table. "Put them on."**_

 _ **A cold sweat suddenly doused over Maybelline.**_

 _ **"Father…" she spoke up cautiously, trying to find a way out of what was coming.**_

 _ **"Too tired for a little exercise? Don't be pathetic, Maybelline, put them on!" he demanded as he made his way around the table and Maybelline reached out for the handcuffs before he could do it himself.**_

 _ **"Behind your back," he instructed callously and Maybelline obeyed. He was her father, and this was just an exercise. She bit her lip, as she caught a glimpse of his taser.**_

 **This is exercise.**

 _ **"Stay on your feet," her father commanded. "Endure it."**_

 _ **And when he struck her the first time - she did just that. Then again, when the second shock went through her. When he struck her a third time, she finally crumbled to the floor, every muscle in her body in painful convulsion - but that didn't stop him. The figure hovering over her wasn't her father, it was an empty shell of the man she used to know and trust. There was nothing left inside other than hate - she could see it in his eyes; he hated her so much…**_

 _ **"You," he whispered darkly, increasing the intensity of the dial. "It was your fault… It's all your fault…"**_

 **It wasn't my fault.** _ **Maybelline closed her eyes and kept on repeating the only thing that kept her sane.**_ **It wasn't my fault. It wasn't.**

"Hi, there!"

Maybelline was pulled out of her memories by a sudden cheerful voice, and as the haze of darkness that lined her mind seconds ago dissipated, she turned to find a particularly happy Jasper Jordan.

"What is it?" she asked thickly, startling the younger boy in the midst of his exuberance.

"Nothing, I just…" he blinked and took a moment - probably to remind himself why he was even there in the first place. "Well, something, actually. It's been getting cold lately, so I thought…"

That was the moment when Maybelline noticed that he was holding the blanket she had given him a few days ago in his hands. That was also the moment when she used all her remaining strength to suppress a weary sigh.

 _You've got to be kidding me…_

"Thing is… I noticed… well, actually Monty pointed it out, but that doesn't matter… Anyway," Jasper blabbed. "You and Andrew brought these blankets to camp and either of you kept one for yourselves, so I-"

"You want to give it to me?" Maybelline interrupted him quickly, her eyebrow raised. "Yeah, that makes sense, it's getting cold and your immunity is still pretty weak, why not try to voluntarily freeze to death?"

Jasper's eyes were suddenly big as two chocolate coins. Maybelline could hardly blame him - she managed to turn his attempt for a kind gesture into a thoughtless idea in three seconds. Looking at his newly startled face, she bit her lip and exhaled slowly.

"Listen, um… I'm not gonna take the blanket," she started in much softer tone. "The thought was nice, though."

Maybelline had no idea why she just said that. She could just as easily turn around and let it go, it wasn't a big deal. So what, one kicked-puppy-face, that was all it took? Maybe she was weak, after all.

"Oh…" Jasper blinked again, lowering his eyes. "That's okay."

He turned around to leave.

"Thank you," slipped through her lips involuntarily.

Oh no, she didn't just say that. She couldn't. But there was no other explanation as to why Jasper turned around again and chuckled like a little kid. So yeah, she totally said that.

 _God, I hope nobody heard that…_

"Maybelline!" came the voice of young Jaha.

 _Jesus, did he hear me too?!_

Maybelline turned around to see Wells limping in her way from a distance and, thank goodness, he was too far away to hear any part of her conversation with Jasper. But it didn't matter now, Maybelline was done here. She didn't feel like having another meaningless conversation, so she turned around and head out of the camp, ignoring Jaha's calls of her name.

xXxXx

Maybelline awoke to the sound of someone calling her name - multiple someones actually, she realized. Opening her eyes, she blinked into the leafy three top in confusion before remembering all that had happened the day before. She and Andrew had a fight and she didn't want to share a tent with him, so she thought a tree would be a great alternative for a five-year-old to sulk. This time, when she rolled her eyes, it was at herself more than anyone else.

Looking down, she realized that her very mature plan didn't quite work - Andrew was standing beneath her, leaning against the tree, carefree smile on his face. He was acting like nothing happened. Typical.

"Good morning, Sunshine," he greeted her cheerfully.

Maybelline fought the urge to roll her eyes again and pinched the bridge of her nose tightly - that was when she heard more callings of her name in the distance.

"Why didn't you tell them I am here?" she asked him, annoyed, anything to make them shut up.

"I thought you wouldn't care," Andrew sneered and Maybelline seriously considered jumping down and smacking his head with a large piece of wood.

On the other hand, he was right. Why should she care? The division of labor in the camp was slowly dwindling thanks to there only being so much wood and one ax -no thanks to Blake's wonderful plan, and subsequently, the kids had a lot of time on their hands. Maybelline wouldn't be surprised if they were now looking for her to solve their problems.

No thanks. Today was Mount Weather day.

She slid down from the branch she had been sleeping on, easily landing on her feet, and in the next second, Andrew handed her a water bottle - probably meaning he was going with her after all. Maybelline took in a breath, just about to make a remark, but in that moment, Finn Collins made his way running into their field of vision with his hair all tousled and crazy-looking.

"What, in your mind, constitutes as a good reason to shout my name all over the forest?" Maybelline questioned him indifferently before he managed to force something out of his mouth.

"Wells Jaha is dead."

* * *

 **Hey! I hope you're having a great weekend and that you enjoy this chapter. :)**

 **Just a little heads up - the next one would be quite dark.**

 **See you soon!**


	12. The Judge

Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, just my OC.

Third POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

 **The Judge**

* * *

Maybelline

Maybelline didn't know Wells Jaha, she really didn't. However, the look on his dead body probably shouldn't have left her completely unfazed, right? During her training, Maybelline had seen countless corpses - but all of them were part of a simulation, fake, not actual human beings. No matter how real they had felt to her, this should have been different - but it wasn't. Her insides were nothing but wastelands and a tiny little something, almost non-existent, hiding there in the corner, reminding her of the day before and the Wells's faraway voice calling after her as she walked away without a care. She would never find out whatever he wanted to tell her.

Wells Jaha was dead and she was thinking about herself - when did she become so egoistical? It probably wasn't the right time to lament over whether she was becoming a textbook psychopath, if for nothing else, then for Andrew. Unlike her, he had more than one friend, and Wells was evidently one of them. His expression was void, but his baby blue eyes had shadows in them that Maybelline, only Maybelline, could see them, and it made her uneasy knowing Andrew, cheerful Andrew, was in a very bad place.

From her peripheral end of vision, Maybelline noticed something curious in Finn Collins's hands.

"What is that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It's a shovel," Spacewalker replied bluntly.

"That's literally a plank."

It really was. In no stretch of the imagination could that piece of wood in his hands resemble a shovel, but given that Finn just stared back at her and gave a careless shrug with what was surely not the best of his abilities, she wasn't going to make any further comments. The painfully positive energy usually surrounding him had completely disappeared and his current state brought up memories of the day Jasper was speared.

"Why isn't Clarke here?" Maybelline inquired. If they were to bury him in their private little graveyard, Clarke Griffin should probably be there too.

"She's still… where we found him," Collins answered with a wince, looking down at Wells's covered body. "Looking for answers." "She won't find any," Maybelline stated firmly as she crossed her arms across her chest. "The Grounders killed Wells."

That was a lie. Maybelline had a chance to take a closer look at Wells in the camp's moment of collective hysteria before they wrapped him in the blanket. She noticed four stab wounds on his body - angry, random, inexperienced. The Grounders they had encountered so far could kill a fly from a hundred yards away, so if one of them had wanted Wells, out of everybody else, dead for any reason, Maybelline doubted they'd leave behind four sloppy, bloody wounds. No, it was far more likely that it was someone from the camp coming for revenge -the son of the Chancellor, the same Chancellor that gave the order to float many of these teenagers' family members, had a target painted on his back since the day they landed.

"How are you so sure?" Finn asked, carefully examining her face.

"I just am," she told him evenly, but he kept on staring, almost defiantly.

"You should probably go check on her," Andrew suggested, reaching out his hand for the… non-shovel. "I'll take care of it."

Collins hesitated but eventually handed him the 'shovel'.

"I'll be right back," he promised as he slowly took off.

As soon as he was gone, Andrew turned to her with not exactly a very pleased look on his usually jovial face. It was then that Maybelline realized he had probably seen the body too, and he wasn't an idiot.

"I like that kid," he noted ruefully, motioning with his chin in the direction where Finn had disappeared. "He can see through your lies almost as good as I can."

Maybelline raised an eyebrow at him, nonchalant.

"My lies?" she questioned lightly.

Andrew looked at her, the unusual expression of seriousness seemed sort of out of place on his face.

"You're really going to do this, huh? _Now_?"

Maybelline kept her mouth shut - this side of her friend was brand new to her and she didn't know what to expect. He was frigidly composed on the outside, but whatever was happening behind those gloomy blue eyes of his wasn't calm at all. She sensed a big argument coming her way and she wanted to do everything in her power to avoid it.

"They have a right to know," he spoke up again, his voice devoid of any added quirk or charm. "There's a murderer among us."

"There are twelve murderers among us," Maybelline replied calmly. "Is one more really gonna make a difference?"

Andrew's eyes narrowed at her in utter disbelief.

"Are you _serious_?"

Maybelline knew better than say something stupid now. She could clearly see he was taking all of this personally - well, Andrew took everything personally, but this was deeper than that. Her whole life, Kane had been warning her of how dangerous getting too involved could be…

"Look how far they've come," she stepped forward, trying to reason with him. "They're not dancing around the fire anymore, cheering and chanting about their glorious independence. They have a purpose now. If they believe Wells was killed by Grounders, it's only useful. Their fear is building that wall."

"Oh my God…" Andrew exhaled, shaking his head as he just couldn't believe it. "All that precious distance, the cold calculations… I always knew he was in your head, but I hadn't realized how deep."

Maybelline held back her tongue, but the redheaded boy wasn't finished just yet.

"So what? We do nothing? That's your plan?"

She suppressed a sigh, trying to keep her voice calm and level.

"Look… if it were anyone else-"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" Andrew interjected in anger, his eyes glowing with rage and forcing Maybelline to mentally rearrange her words.

"I only meant - Wells was hated by all. He had enemies, so we have like ninety suspects right now. Or do you actually believe someone in this bunch of criminals is just gonna confess?"

Andrew didn't say anything to that. Instead, he just stared at her in silence, and it didn't take long for it to get uncomfortable, so much so that Maybelline couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"Rushed decisions-"

"You shouldn't be here right now, Maybelline," Andrew cut her off evenly.

Her eyes studied his unreadable expression carefully. "…Why not?"

"Because unlike you, I don't wanna say something I'm gonna regret," he stated quickly before turning around and digging the shovel deep in the cold, unforgiving ground.

Maybelline felt uneasy emotions churning in her stomach, but ultimately decided to ignore it. Andrew sent her away, he didn't want her there, and she should go, but before she did, she let her eyes drop one more time to the motionless body below.

 _Seven dead. Ninety-four left._

xXxXx

This wasn't her problem. None of this was.

Maybelline knew it, she had accepted it, it was better this way… but nevertheless she caught herself going through the list of possible suspects in her mind, but at this point it was still a guessing game. Each one of those children was - to some extent at least - innocent until proven guilty. But Maybelline had a few favorites…

"Maybelline! Hey!"

She turned her head when she heard Clarke shouting for her. Not only because this day wasn't exactly the best day for ignoring her just out of spite, but also the voice of the blonde girl was steaming with anger. The young wannabe doctor rushed in her direction with Bellamy Blake and his sister close behind her, and as soon as Clarke had taken a breath to say something, Bellamy cut her off sharply.

"Not here!" he hissed warningly, glancing around.

The blonde shot him a nasty look, but he just grabbed her wrist and started to roughly drag her towards his tent. Seeing that, Maybelline already knew she didn't want to be a part of whatever it was that was going on, and she would have been at peace if it weren't for Octavia standing right next to her, chin stuck out, signaling her to move. With a deep sigh, Maybelline followed Blake and Griffin inside, while they bickered in hushed voices.

"What is this? A private Council meeting?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, earning glares from both of them.

Maybelline turned to Clarke, waiting for her to spill what the other outsiders weren't privy to hear, but given the current events and the fire burning through the blonde's iris's, it could've only been about one thing, really.

"Wells wasn't killed by the Grounders," she announced darkly.

 _You rarely disappoint, Griffin._

"Yeah…" Maybelline drawled out slowly, tilting her head to the side. "Nice theory, but since you don't have any proof to back it up, how about not to cause a chaos?"

"Who said I don't have a proof?" Clarke retorted pointedly, slamming a bloody makeshift knife on a tall wooden box in front of her.

 _Is she kidding me? Did she seriously just find the murder weapon?_

Maybelline was looking down at the knife, keeping her face unimpressed. Whoever did it had to be incredibly sloppy or dumb as hell - there was hardly anything Maybelline could say or do to dismiss that theory now, was there?

"Who else knows about this?" Bellamy asked calmly as he stood still, staring at the bloody knife like a bomb about to blow up.

"Just us," the blonde girl replied solemnly.

"Good," he nodded. "Let's keep it that way."

"There's a murderer in the camp!" Clarke exclaimed angrily, her eyes trying to find solace in someone that'd give her what she wanted.

"There's more than one murderer in this camp," Bellamy informed her evenly. "Nothing new."

Clarke turned to Maybelline for help, but she hardly noticed the whip of her messy blonde hair while she kept her eyes on the elder Blake. Did he really just use the same argument she had used earlier with Andrew?

"You're not gonna say anything?!" Clarke pressed after a while of silence. What the hell did Griffin always assume that she was going to do something anyway?

"There's a lot of murderers in this camp," Maybelline shrugged.

"Oh, so you don't care," Griffin noted bitterly as she began circling her. "Nothing new…"

"Wait," Blake stepped in her way before she could storm out of the tent, holding his hands tentatively in front of him.

"Get out of my way, Bellamy!"

"You have to be smart about this," he told her in a calm voice. "Have you seen them out there? Thing are… different. They're working on the wall, on shelters, we're setting up patrols…"

"So basically, people are scared and that's working out just fine for _you_ ," Clarke summoned it venomously, her face reddening in fury.

"If fear from the Grounders is building that wall, a wall that helps protect our people, then yeah, that's just fine for me," Bellamy confirmed nonchalantly.

 _Oh my God…_

Maybelline tried to ignore for a moment how similar the Blake's thought process was to hers and crossed her arms at the base of her chest.

"You should think this through," she told her, trying with all her strength block out the fact that she was taking Bellamy Blake's side on something. "And be careful because whatever you do next, you can't undo. There are ninety people out there, and you can't control any of them. Do you really want anarchy?"

"I want justice!" Clarke fumed, bringing her fist down to the wooden table stained with her friend's blood, her eyes piercing through her furiously.

"You're only gonna make this worse," Bellamy remarked, and Maybelline finally had to resign herself to the harsh reality where she agreed with him.

"This is not the Ark," the black haired girl added to his statement, earning her a loud snort from Octavia, who, up until that moment, had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"Like the Ark was the paradigm of justice," she uttered mockingly, to which Maybelline rolled her eyes. And she made sure Octavia saw it.

 _You didn't get the news, living under the floor?_

"That's enough!" Clarke stepped in before Maybelline could actually say something Octavia wouldn't forget. "I didn't bring you in here to have a sarcastic shootout!"

"What am I here for then?"

 _Last time I checked, I had nothing to do with this._

"You are a member of the Council!"

Maybelline blinked in incredulity.

"I'm-"

"I just didn't think you would stand aside while people start killing each other!" Clarke ranted, surprising every single person in the tent.

 _Well, obviously, you were wrong._

"I'm no judge," Maybelline answered callously. "Neither are you."

"You don't know who did it, so this all is pointless anyway," Bellamy spoke up again, trying to prove his point against Clarke. "There's no way we can find out whose knife that is. If you haven't noticed, we're kind of coming up short in forensics."

"I know whose knife it is," Clarke informed them pointedly, turning the blade around. "JM," she read from the side. "John Murphy."

 _You've gotta be kidding me…_

Murphy may not be the sharpest pencil in the case, but he couldn't be that big of an idiot, could he? He couldn't just leave the murder weapon to stare Clarke Griffin in the face, but he also had to sign it for them?

Realizing the effect her revelation had on her tent-mates, Clarke used the temporary standstill to try to leave the tent again. Maybelline grabbed her wrist firmly to stop her, but the blonde shook her off with an aggressiveness that even Maybelline hadn't seen coming from her.

"Don't try to stop me!" she warned her sharply.

"Stop what?" Maybelline responded lightly, her voice still calm. "What exactly are you going do?" "I'm going to tell everyone!"

"Solid plan, really," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Then what, huh? You'll pass the sentence the crowd decides?"

"They have a right to know!" Clarke gritted through her teeth.

"You're grieving hence you're not thinking straight," Maybelline pointed out with a tired sigh. "This is exactly why you should never make any decisions while you're emotional."

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I too emotional?" the younger girl breathed out with a rueful smile, her disposition suddenly changing. "Too bad that I'm not some heartless soldier who can just look away and turn her emotions off whenever she wants to!"

 _Something's telling me you're not speaking generally._

"You're not doing this," Bellamy stepped in, his voice suddenly serious.

"You have no right to tell me what to do!" Clarke shoved him away angrily, evidently in the perfect mood to inform everyone about their rights. "Or you!" she pointed a finger at Maybelline.

"Do yourself a favor," Maybelline spoke up again, her voice as cold as her stare. "Don't expect me to clean this mess up."

Clarke gave her one of the darkest glares she had ever seen grace her face.

"Don't worry," she said, quickly running out of the tent with Blake instantly at her heels.

"Great job, Chosen One," Octavia uttered sarcastically before going after her brother.

Maybelline was left in the tent, finally alone in the simple quiet -but that didn't last too long. Within seconds she could hear the first rumblings coming from outside, and despite her better judgement, Maybelline tried to understand what the kids were shouting above each other until she heard one voice resonate louder than any other.

"I… _What_?!… Bellamy! You don't believe this crap, do you?"

It was Murphy. Maybelline turned her back to the exit, closing her eyes tight in irritation. Whatever was going on outside wasn't her problem. None of this was. _They_ weren't her problem.

No matter what Andrew said, or Collins, or Clarke… she should have left them days ago. What was the point of them, anyway? How long did it take them before they started killing each other?

"We should float him!" " _Yes_!" "FLOAT HIM!"

The chaos has already erupted and Maybelline couldn't have been any less surprised. She kept her ears open, waiting for Blake to say something - to speak up, to try to contain it somehow, but she heard nothing. Maybe he wasn't loud enough, or maybe he was just standing there, watching, doing absolutely _nothing_. Maybelline had an inkling that it was probably the latter. _Whatever the hell we want_ , he had preached and there it was. She could hear Clarke scream, shrill and faint at the same time in the background, but the crowd was already chanting its way out of the camp.

 _ **"You don't care about them."**_

And she didn't. There was nothing left that was worth caring for.

The numbing sensation of nothingness inside of her rumbled soothingly as she fell deep into what she always knew. They were what they were, she was what she was.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Walking out of Blake's tent, she saw the crowd at the edge of the camp. They were about to hang the boy up like people used to do it in the old days. When she moved closer, she noticed that Murphy had a gag in his mouth, arms tied behind his back and a noose already around his neck. People were either cheering in support, or standing around watching and Bellamy with Clarke stood in the middle of it all.

The scene was certainly abhorrent, but Maybelline didn't have any urge to try to stop it. She was looking at Murphy on the ground, writhing as he fought for his life and she just thought… no. He couldn't possibly have been _that_ stupid. He most likely didn't do it at all, but who cared? They certainly did not.

It was only Clarke. Clarke, who actually believed Murphy was guilty, cried her ready-made tears and tried to tear her way through the mob of children while Bellamy Blake just stood there watching completely expressionless. Maybelline would have paid a penny for his thoughts in that moment, but his frozen expression was about to change.

"Bellamy should do it!"

"Bellamy should be the one!"

"Bellamy! Bellamy!"

For a split second, Maybelline caught a glimpse of the panic running through his features before it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The Great Leader forced himself to look away from Clarke, who was already clutching his arm tightly as she plead him to stop the madness. His eyes met Maybelline's just for a moment - two people with a mutual distrust of one another, standing in the middle of hell, doing absolutely nothing to stop the fire from rising, and she witnessed as his face ultimately hardened and his eyes turned cold. During those few seconds, Bellamy Blake aged five years.

He turned away, pushed Clarke aside, made his way through the crowd and swiftly kicked the box from under Murphy's feet. The boy swung down, his whole body stiffening in a horrible spasm. Clarke was openly sobbing now as others screamed, some of them started backing away, averting their gazes from the monstrous sight before them.

Maybelline watched. She knew it was important for her to remember this distinctively, to ingrain the image in her mind for the rest of her life. This was real, this was happening.

They did this.

She flinched when she saw a knife fly through the air, cutting the rope over Murphy's head, and within seconds he was on the ground heaving heavily for his stolen breath. When Maybelline turned her head, she saw Andrew and Finn quickly fighting their ways through the shocked crowd - that was Andrew's throw, but it was Spacewalker who spoke up first.

"Are you _out of your minds_?!" He was spinning around on the spot, giving a disgusted look to every single one of them, stopping only when he got to her, his brows now furrowed in disbelief.

"He deserves to be punished!" some boy cried out, trying to justify it. Other voices immediately joined him. "He killed Wells!"

"Yeah!" "It's only justice!" "This is not the Ark," Andrew exclaimed adamantly while Finn pushed himself forcefully past the others to get to Murphy and helped him out of his noose. "And Murphy didn't kill Wells."

"… What?" Clarke breathed out shakily, her eyes glassy.

"How do you know?" Bellamy questioned. He had his arms firmly folded across his chest, but something in his posture lacked the confidence he usually displayed in defining moments like these.

"I checked Wells's body one more time before we buried him," Andrew told them evenly, pulling something out of his pocket. "This was in his hand."

It was a piece of fabric, a faded pink color with blood droplets spattered on it. It took the others a moment before they understood what it truly meant and started to look around in blind confusion. But by that time, Maybelline had already settled her eyes on the target, and all the pieces came together.

Little Charlotte stood in the middle of the crowd, her small hands clutching the front of her pink jacket as a frightened expression adorned her face.

"N-no…" she shook her head. "No, I… I didn't…!"

It only took one second. They went from stunned silence to absolute pandemonium in one single second. The chaos broke out once again, this time somehow worse than before, and they all screamed, loud enough to cover their own guilt, to see the real killer punished. Mass hysteria mixed with instinctual fear and the discipline of the Ark imprinted deep in their cores. Justice was equal for all of them - even children had to pay.

"Maybelline!" Clarke yelled her name as the crowd pushed her back to bring her attention to the key players.

Bellamy had his arm wrapped around the young girl, ready to protect her with his own body. They were others protecting her, Octavia, Monty, Jasper, and some more, but it wasn't enough. Maybelline moved instinctively, coming to them from the other side and before she could do or say anything, Blake shoved the little girl into her arms.

"Get her out of here!" he commanded harshly before returning to face the crowd, and so Maybelline grabbed Charlotte's wrist and dived with her into the darkening forest without a second thought.

She led her deep into the woods, and the farther they got the more daylight faded away and left them with almost complete darkness. Maybelline had let go of Charlotte's hand a long time ago, but still the girl wordlessly followed her lead, playing her role perfectly while Maybelline struggled with the pressure building in her head, making it both full and empty at the same time. It took the black haired girl a while before she convinced herself to finally look at her companion.

"Why did you do it, Charlotte?" she asked, her voice calm and perfectly even.

The girl placed a pair of aggrieved gray eyes at her.

"I didn't!"

 _Of course._

Maybelline had read her file. In fact, she had read it over and over again until she could recite it with her eyes closed. Charlotte was never supposed to make the cut to the dropship, at least not if it was up to her and Kane. The day Charlotte's parents had been floated for stealing, the girl had managed to kill two guards with a kitchen knife. The only reason why they hadn't floated her immediately was her extremely young age, but she should have never been on the ship. They kept her separated, in isolation from the others, and while the girl went two years without incident, Kane still didn't trust her. And as always, he was right. Charlotte was probably just waiting for her moment...

"That's too bad," Maybelline drawled out in faux disappointment. "Now I'll never know who to thank."

 _Two can play this game, you know…_

Charlotte watched her from the corner of her eye in silence. The girl might be smart… but she wasn't smart enough.

"Well, whoever did it spared me a lot of trouble," the black haired girl went on smoothly. "Sooner or later, Wells had to go…"

"You… you didn't like him?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"It's actually not about Wells at all," Maybelline explained kindly. "You see, Mr. Amazing Chancellor floated both of my parents, for odds and ends really, so between you and me, I've always kinda wanted to get him back for it… And what could have hurt him more than the loss of his son? That was clever, by the way."

"I know."

Maybelline looked down at the younger girl who now held her gaze with great confidence. The mask of innocence was gone now, she took it off and revealed the truth. Under all that facade, her gray eyes were cold… and full of darkness.

"So it was you," Maybelline stated slowly, carefully.

Charlotte nodded, the corner of her small mouth lifting a bit.

"You're welcome."

Maybelline felt bitterness rising up her nose. Charlotte's psychological evaluations over the years hadn't indicated any abnormalities, but this wasn't any kind of accident. This girl was a psychopath, there was no doubt about it now. There wasn't even a hint of guilt in her eyes, quite the contrary. She was… satisfied.

And all of the sudden, the blinding pressure was gone. Maybelline was calm, her body relaxed and she was even able to give Charlotte a weak smile in return. Her palms felt quite cold, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

A door just closed inside of her.

And Maybelline knew, she would never be able to open it again.

They finally arrived at the cliff, the place where they headed the whole time. The view in this time of the day was outstanding, the Ground looked so peaceful and harmonic - everything had its own place. Charlotte stepped closer to the edge, looking around with no expression on her face. Maybelline followed her in all calmness and positioned herself behind her. There were no heart palpitations, no second-guessing, no hesitation, she just... pushed her down. And just like that, she was gone, with only a scream that she left behind. Maybelline barely even noticed that Charlotte wasn't the only one screaming.

 _Ninety-three left..._

xXxXx

Bellamy

After that day, nothing was ever going to be the same, he knew that. But that didn't mean he was just going to give it all up. Whatever happened, _happened_. He still had to deal with it.

It took them a while before they manage to calm them down a bit. This whole situation was horrible, true, but Bellamy didn't believe that they were actually evil. They were _children_ , they were scared and scared people do awful things, he probably knew that better than anyone else.

He might have never admitted it, but Carlyle and Collins were actually a great help in calming the crowd down. They were speaking loud enough, but not yelling. They weren't accusing or commanding but used reason to finally get to them. Just when he thought it was finally over and most of the children went back to the camp, he heard his sister yelling his name. Turning his head, he saw Octavia and the boy with the googles - Jasper - approaching quickly. The closer they got, the better Bellamy could see that they boy was moving a bit awkwardly -and it probably had something to do with the gash on his forehead.

"What happened?" Clarke asked, instantly moving towards him.

"Murphy hit him with a plank," Octavia blurted out quickly.

"It's nothing," Jasper breathed out, grimacing slightly as the blonde touched his wound. "But he went after them - Maybelline and Charlotte - he followed them into the woods!"

Bellamy didn't need to hear any more. He dropped everything behind and started running into the same words he had watched Emery disappear into.

"Bellamy, wait!" he heard the princess scream and after a few seconds, he could hear her catching up to him.

"I tried to stop him!" Jasper yelled after them, but they were already gone.

"That son of a bitch!" Bellamy cursed without slowing down. They didn't have a problem in following him - Murphy was screaming all over the woods and his choice of words were very colorful.

"It's fine," Clarke huffed out, strained as she continued beside him, and he wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort him or just herself. "Maybelline's there."

 _Yeah… She's there._

Bellamy knew the truth - Emery was probably the best person he had for Charlotte's protection… the question was if she was even up to it. Actually, the real question was what the hell was her deal anyway?

His feet raced faster, trying to catch up to Murphy, and he knew that his guilt was pushing him further than he'd usually go. It was his fault, he knew it. He knew that Murphy was dangerous, on good days he could be erratic, but in rage? He was capable of anything. And still, it was Bellamy who kicked the box from under him… It was what the crowd wanted. It was what they expected of him. But it was also the easy way out, and Bellamy knew that…

Finally, the red of Murphy's jacket showed up, even in the dark, and Bellamy knew that it could be over soon. Murphy was moving forward in a crouch, and a second later, Bellamy saw why - Maybelline and Charlotte were just a few steps ahead, both stood at the edge of the cliff, trapped. Just as Bellamy was about to make a move on Murphy, he saw Emery shift behind Charlotte, and in the next second, Charlotte was falling off the cliff.

" _No_!" his scream interlaced Charlotte's, but it was already too late.

Murphy froze, not taking another step, and Clarke just stood there, gasping, obviously not quite understanding what they had just witnessed. Bellamy did understand, he understood perfectly.

He furiously launched forward, grabbing Maybelline by the collar and tipped her over the edge of the same damned cliff, stones crumbling under her toes. He wanted so badly to let go, and he was about to - she just killed a thirteen year old girl in cold blood right in front of their eyes. Looking at her now, on the precipice of death, something cold ran down his back as he examined her lifeless expression, her dark blue eyes completely drained of any remorse. There was nothing there, nothing except maybe... anticipation. She didn't even lift her hands to hold on or fight back.

"Bellamy, don't!" Clarke yelled at him and her voice echoed in his head. She screamed for Emery's life, just like she screamed for Murphy. Because Clarke's heart was for everyone and Maybelline didn't have one.

Bellamy pulled her up and let go of her in frustration, backing away a few steps. He had just seen it with his own eyes, but a part of him still didn't believe it really happened. Charlotte's young life was over with a snap of fingers. Her fingers.

"What have you done…?"

Maybelline didn't reply, she just stared at him, so calm, so _untouchable_ , he had an urge to rip that remorseless expression right off her face.

"Justice," Murphy said, his tone casual, and in that moment, Bellamy snapped.

Before he even realized it, he had pressed the younger boy down and was punching him furiously in the face. Over and over he swung as Clarke tried to pull him away, and after a while, he let her, but not without knowing that Murphy's nose was unquestionably broken.

"Get out of here!" he growled at him violently. "Go and never come back! If you do, I'll kill you."

No one said a word while Murphy scrambled to his feet and quickly disappeared into the forest. Clarke didn't protest, but she was looking at him, her eyes red and wary.

"Go," he told her, his head motioning towards the camp.

"Wait… don't. Bellamy…" the blonde exhaled, looking up at him with desperate eyes. "We can-"

" _Go_!" Bellamy's hands curled up into fists and his voice was so adamant that Griffin actually turned around and left them.

They were alone. Bellamy twisted around to face her only to find her in the exact same spot he left her, with the exact same barren face. It annoyed him to no end.

"What have you done?" he asked again, this time his voice flat and cold. "You had no right… You don't get to decide who lives or who dies!"

"Who'll decide…?" Maybelline questioned slowly, her voice as cold as his. "You?"

To Bellamy, it was as if he was seeing her for the very first time. He had no idea who this girl was, it had never - not once, crossed his mind that she'd be capable of something like this.

"She was a kid…" he muttered, his voice rough. "Just a kid!"

"Wells was just a kid," Emery retorted evenly. "Murphy is just a kid."

"Murphy is a killer!" Bellamy fumed, his voice rising up with every passing second. "Murphy killed Wells, he did it, he-"

"No," she cut him off smoothly. "Charlotte killed Wells, she confessed. Murphy was innocent."

Bellamy didn't want to believe her. He refused, with everything he had, he refused to accept it… but deep down, he knew she was telling the truth. And he _hated_ her for it.

"But you decided to murder him anyway. You made that decision," Maybelline added, her bleak voice sharply cutting right into him and he tensed up as the reminder of that defining moment. "So tell me… How exactly are we different?"

Bellamy felt his blood go cold. He was looking for something in his mind, anything he could use, anything he could justify his actions, but there was nothing.

"Oh, right," came out of her lips softly and she daringly moved closer. "I killed the guilty one."

Bellamy didn't know if it was rage, grief, frustration, desperation or everything combined that made him do what he did next, but he didn't care. He moved forward, snatching the gun out of her belt and she didn't even try to stop him. In a second, he had the gun aimed directly at her perfectly expressionless face.

 _I'm not like you…_

He took a step back but still held the gun up firmly. _I am not like you._

"Bellamy," a strong voice came from his right side and when he turned his head, Bellamy saw Andrew Carlyle standing at the edge of the forest. The redheaded boy's face was hard, harder than he thought it ever could be. "Put the gun down."

xXxXx

Maybelline

There wasn't even an inch of guilt in her body. No remorse, no nothing… Yes; nothing was the exact description of what was currently located inside of her. Nothing.

She didn't feel scared when Blake pointed the gun at her. She wasn't afraid, she wasn't nervous… On the other hand, he was currently displaying so many emotions she wasn't even capable of recognizing them all. It was strange seeing him in such a state, so… vulnerable.

When Andrew showed up, something finally _moved_ within her. He wasn't supposed to be there. Every molecule of her body was against him being in the same exact spot when she had just murdered a thirteen-year-old girl.

"She killed her…" Bellamy said, his voice hoarse and tired. "She just pushed her off the cliff!"

"I know," Andrew replied coldly, now standing in front of her, shielding her with his own body. "Go back to the camp."

Maybelline didn't see Blake's face, but after a moment of contemplation, he put the gun down. Without another word, he left without looking back. Andrew turned to look at her, his eyes studied her face carefully as he had done so many times before. But this time something was different. This time they were... wary.

And it that moment, Maybelline finally broke.

Seeing that look in the eyes of her best friend made her feel something, but it wasn't remorse, or doubt, or sadness…

It was fear.

Andrew took a step closer and Maybelline immediately backed away from him, lifting one of her hands up.

"No…" she breathed out quietly, not wanting him to come any closer.

Andrew's blue eyes watched her carefully. "Maybelline…"

"Something's wrong…" she said, swallowing hard. The truth was now more apparent than ever before. "Something's _seriously_ wrong with me."

The redheaded boy didn't say anything. He just stood there, waiting for her to calm down and explain, and Maybelline wasn't currently able to do neither of those things.

"I felt nothing," she stated as if it was supposed to magically clarify everything.

"It's okay-" Andrew told her gently.

"No, it's not," Maybelline retorted quickly. "Don't tell me that _this_ is okay! I know it's not. It's not… normal, it's messed up. I'm messed up… _Just like my mother._ "

And in that moment, it finally hit her. It finally made sense, it explained everything. Every single one of the people who had been injected the drug suffered from side effects. Maybelline wasn't special, she wasn't the exception - she was just a late bloomer.

"That's it, isn't it?" she whispered, lifting her eyes up to Andrew, slowly collecting herself. "I'm just like her! Different side effects but the same story…"

"Maybelline…"

"I didn't feel anything the first time either," the black haired girl remarked evenly. "I don't think it's okay to be totally fine with murdering people, do you? I don't think it's okay to not be able to feel-"

Maybelline stopped in mid-sentence as she realized Andrew had moved closer and before she could stop him, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. It only took a second before she felt it; the warmth slowly flooding its way into the cracked parts of her heart. Letting out a surprised breath, she buried her face in his shoulder and he cradled her head.

"Tell me now that you don't feel anything," he whispered in her ear, holding her close.

Maybelline didn't answer. She just closed her eyes and took it all in, knowing very well that nothing was okay, but for now, it didn't matter - she still had him. She still had Andrew.

"Why did you do it?"

"Charlotte was dangerous, a threat to others. I would do it again."

Andrew pulled away from her, his hands remaining on her shoulders, his pastel blue eyes burrowing deep into hers.

"You had a reason, that's all that matters. You did the right thing."

Maybelline couldn't believe those words were actually coming out of his mouth. Andrew the Perfect, approving of her murdering a child. This didn't even seem like a reality anymore…

"That's it?" she asked in bewilderment.

Andrew took a deep breath.

"You are messed up, May. I know that. I've known that for quite a while now, but damn, it would be unnatural if you wouldn't be at least a little bit damaged after all that shit you've been through."

Andrew never swore. Hardly ever. He used rude words just in cases where they were absolutely necessarily.

"I'm here," he added softly, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk. "I'm still here."

Maybelline was staring at him and simply couldn't believe that guy… after everything that happened, why was he still here? "Aren't you tired of picking up the pieces?" she asked him in a moment of vulnerability.

Andrew let out a tired chuckle as his eyes flicked to the sky above.

"How should I put this, hm…" he pondered. "Once I met a girl who was a lousy fighter. Especially her defense - let me tell you, that was a catastrophe," he laughed. "She couldn't put her arms up and take care of herself, so I figured… someone should do it for her."

* * *

 **Hi there! I'm really sorry about the delay, but sometimes life gets in the way. I hope you didn't forget about this little story and the next chapter should be out soon enough. I want to thank lilnightmare17, LuxSerenity, guest, keikei313 and RachelKnowsNoEnd for reviews, I loved them!**

 **Let me know what you think and - hopefully - see you soon!**


	13. My Life Would Be So Much Easier

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **My Life Would Be So Much Easier**

* * *

Maybelline

Maybelline used to be afraid of the dark. It wasn't just a little childish fear most had when they were kids; it was a real phobia entrenched deep inside of her. For nine years of her life, she slept with her lights on every single night. That was until the day her training for the Rorchack test started. After all of that had begun, she wasn't allowed to have such a weakness anymore.

It was hard to feel grateful to Shumway and the other tutors, but it was only thanks to them that she could now stand in the dark and feel absolutely nothing. Thanks to them, she could spend hours in the dank underground and her mind could stay completely focused the whole time. Thanks to them… she was finally able to find something useful.

"What is it?" Andrew questioned curiously after he saw her turn around with a small black box in her hand.

"I don't know about you," Maybelline drawled out mockingly, the corners of her mouth slowly lifting, "but it looks like a radio to me."

Minutes later, they were outside. Andrew was holding a flashlight up for her, but the fingers of his free hand were too impatient to stand by and merely watch her try to remove the rusted screws from the device.

"Let me-"

Maybelline had to push them away once more.

"Hands off, Carlyle."

The past had taught her to not let her hopes up too quickly, but this time Maybelline couldn't help it. Maybe it was the unnerving relief and gratitude to finally feel something again, but nevertheless, her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears even though her hands remained steady. Five seconds of heavy silence ensued as soon as she was able to get the cover off, five seconds before she and Andrew could bear to see if the radio was broken or not.

"I think it's alright," the redhead spoke up with caution in his voice - even he knew how dangerous hope could be.

Maybelline checked the parts again. And again. And then one more time.

"It should be fine…" "It should," Andrew nodded, his teeth releasing the lip they had been clamped down on. "Now we just have to power it up. We can do that in the dropship."

Maybelline blinked at him blankly as whatever she had just felt left her through her fingers. Going back to camp hadn't really crossed her mind since they left - she kind of expected the bunker to be a total failure, and in that case, they would've just moved on straight to Mount Weather.

It had only been four days since the incident. Neither Blake nor Clarke told any of the others what happened on that cliff, not the real story, anyway. For whatever reason, they told an alternative tale of Murphy pushing Charlotte to commit suicide, probably in an effort to justify his banishment. Maybelline didn't actually know how the delinquents were taking to the whole situation, seeing as she and Andrew left camp the next morning, but either way, she doubted her return would be all that pleasant.

"Alright," she said as she carefully positioned the radio in her backpack. "If we head off now, we could be there by tomorrow afternoon." Without giving her friend a look, she put her backpack on and started walking.

"Wait," came a voice behind her.

Maybelline rolled her eyes.

"Andrew, we don't have time for-"

"Shut up for a sec and look."

When she turned around, realizing that she had obeyed him, she found Andrew standing in the middle of the clearing looking up with his pastel blue eyes wide open. Maybelline followed his gaze, and as her eyes grappled the impossible blue of the night sky, she could almost feel... at peace. The view was incredible; dotted and splattered with thousands of stars as a huge full moon hung in the center of it.

"This could be very well the end of your big mission here, May," Andrew spoke up again, his voice serene. "So just stop for a second and… take it in."

Maybelline tried. For a change, now she had an actual shot to end all of it. They were going to figure out the way to contact the Ark and navigate them down here. This whole thing with Bellamy Blake in charge of hundred teenage criminals was going to be over soon.

 _Everything is going to be different after they get here… After he gets here._

"It looks nothing like we thought it would," Andrew murmured and she could literally sense a smile from his voice. "It feels different too…"

Her gaze dropped down to the redheaded boy in front of her and for a brief second, she could actually feel the thick, warm aura emanating around his body. In that moment, the whole universe was reflecting in his eyes.

"It should have been you," came out of her lips before she could stop herself.

Andrew looked down at her in confusion.

"… What?"

Maybelline averted her eyes back to the ground as she took a sharp breath. This wasn't a new information for anyone - everybody knew. If anyone should have been the first one to pass the test, if anyone should have been 'the Chosen One', it was Andrew. For a second, she let herself picture how everything would be if he had been the one sent down there with the hundred, and it was so… _different_.

"You could have done it better, all of it…" Maybelline stated, trying to keep her voice even. "You would have managed everything so much-"

"Hey, hey…" Andrew cut her off, moved closer and put his hands down on her shoulders. "It should've been both of us. _It is_ both of us."

Maybelline held his gaze and tried to convince herself that yes, in a way, it actually was the both of them. But there was still that small voice in the back of her head telling her that if Andrew hadn't done what he did a year ago, everything would've been different and unquestionably… better.

The redheaded boy forced a smile on his face, desperately trying to dissolve the uncomfortable tension around them.

"I told you… we're doing this together, or not at all."

 _ **Breaking out from the simulation was never enjoyable, but this time it ran her over like a wrecking ball. Trying to catch her breath, Maybelline collapsed on the cold floor, quickly tearing the headpiece off her head. But it didn't help, it didn't change anything - she could still see it burned into her eyes and it was as if the knife was still wedged deep in her chest.**_

 _ **"Emery?" Kane's voice barely made it through the chaos in her mind.**_

 _ **She tried to focus on the coldness underneath her fingers, and tried as she could to suppress the feeling of that all - consuming hand crushing her heart in her chest, the grip agonizing as it got tighter and tighter. She couldn't have a breakdown in front of them, she just couldn't...**_

 _ **"Maybelline… Are you alright?"**_

 _ **Her head slowly lifted as she realized Marcus had left the observational room and stepped into the bare room she was in. Tears welled up in of her eyes, so she could hardly even see him before she scrambled onto her feet and stormed out the room in the sudden need to get out of there.**_

 _ **It's been a while since the last time she cried. Yet in that moment, she didn't even think about how embarrassing it was, how humiliating, she couldn't because the pure dread coming from what she just experienced was flowing through her like a poison in her veins.**_

 _ **Taking sharply the next turn, she slammed into someone hard and their quick hands caught her before she could fall on the floor. Lifting her reddened eyes, she found Andrew staring back at her with great sympathy. In that moment, her eyes finally overflow.**_

 _ **"You should have told me," she breathed, stepping back and hastily wiping at her eyes. "The final phase… Why didn't you tell me?!"**_

 _ **"I just… I couldn't," the redhead just slowly shook his head, works leaking with pain. "I'm sorry."**_

 _ **Maybelline turned away from him, trying to get ahold of herself. She pressed her fingers against her temples and started to rub them in small circles. Breathe in… breathe out… It could always be worse…**_

 _ **"Who was it for you?"**_

 _ **Maybelline shot a biting look to Andrew who already looked sorry that he even asked. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up a little.**_

 _ **"My mom," she replied and those two single words evoked dozens of horrible images in her head she had worked so hard on burying, and their edges were sharp like knives. She tried to push them away before they could hurt her, but it was hard and she desperately needed a distraction. "Who was it for you?"**_

 _ **Something strange moved in his face, and Maybelline could immediately tell that things weren't all peaches and rainbows for his simulation either.**_

 _ **"My parents."**_

 _ **Something felt like he wasn't telling her the whole truth, but Maybelline couldn't focus on that when the realization hit her that she was going to have to go through that all over again. They were going to make her take the test again.**_

 _ **"May…?!"**_

 _ **If it weren't for the sudden uncharacteristic panic in Andrew's voice, she probably wouldn't have even noticed how rigid and irregular her breathing had become, but it was already too late, she was too far gone. Nothing could disturb the madness that broke out in her mind. All the fear and pressure and anxiety, they all just stirred together, growing into each other and getting bigger and bigger with every passing second. No matter how many breaths Maybelline took, it felt like no oxygen was getting in and she had to lean against the wall to stop her legs from falling beneath her.**_

 _ **"It's okay, it's alright," Andrew spoke up, his voice forcibly calm and soothing. "You're okay, Maybelline. Try to take a deep breath, alright?"**_

 _ **It took her a moment before she was even able to manage that simple task, feeling like her head and her heart were going to explode, and Andrew just stood there, his hands in the air as if he was trying really hard not to comfort her and for some inexplicable reason that was actually a good thing.**_

 _ **"Oh my God…" she breathed out huskily, sucking all that air that she could that it was shocking there was any left. "What… is this…?!"**_

 _ **"I think you're having a panic attack," Andrew replied evenly, his eyes quickly flickering across her face. "I know it feels horrible, it's scary, but it's not dangerous… You're gonna be alright, okay? Trust me."**_

 _ **That was a lie. No matter how hard Maybelline tried, she couldn't bring herself to believe him. She knew for a fact that she was going insane, she was going to faint, she was going to die… The pain in her chest was excruciating and it felt like her mind was slowly but surely**_ _ **disintegrating, piece by piece.**_

 _ **"It was just a simulation," Andrew spoke up again, obviously noticing that she wasn't getting any better. "It wasn't real, do you hear me? It wasn't real and now it's over."**_

 _ **Maybelline started shaking her head.**_

 _ **It wasn't over, it was never over…**_

 _ **"I will… I'll have to… do it again…"**_

 _ **Even through all that chaos in her mind, she could still see how Andrew's eyes widened with an abrupt realization and how it only took a second of thinking before his face hardened with confidence.**_

 _ **"You won't," he stated firmly.**_

 _ **Maybelline would have laughed bitterly and in his face if she wasn't too busy not drowning in her own private ocean of anxiety.**_

 _ **"Don't… lie."**_

 _ **"I'm not lying," Andrew stepped closer and caught both of her wrists, wrapping his fingers around them tightly, keeping her steady. "We're gonna find a way. Together. Do you hear me? You won't have to go through it again, I promise."**_

 _ **It took a while, but… it all faded away eventually. Maybelline couldn't believe that something so strong like that could actually disappear completely, but it did. Andrew let go of her in the end, so she could hold her face in her hands, softly wiping tears away with the pads of her thumbs.**_

 _ **"Better?" he asked, gentle yet careful.**_

 _ **"I'm breathing…" Maybelline let out tiredly, her gaze pinned to the floor. It wasn't exactly easy to look Andrew in the eye right now. Still, better him than anyone-**_

 _ **"Emery," an authoritative and familiar voice called her name from the other end of the hallway and she could feel her heart skip a beat at the sound.**_

 _ **Looking up at Andrew's face only confirmed her suspicion of who was calling her, since he suddenly had that hard look in his eyes - the one he reserved exceptionally for Marcus Kane. For better or worse, Maybelline wiped her face one more time to get rid of any tears that were left, although she hardly believed it would help her in any way, considering she just went through a meltdown and had to look absolutely awful. Without a word, she turned away from Andrew and marched straight to the Councilman, too much of a coward to look him in the eye once she was close enough.**_

 _ **"I'm sorry," Maybelline let out quietly, after stopping in front of him. For failing the test, for making a scene and - honestly, for ever being born.**_

 _ **Kane took a step towards her and that made her lift her head, so the austere green eyes got a chance to thoroughly examine her face before he answered.**_

 _ **"Don't be," he said evenly. "Your reaction wasn't any different from any other participant at this phase."**_

 _ **Surprisingly, his comment about Maybelline not being any different than the others didn't exactly make her feel better. But then again, Marcus Kane wasn't there to make sure her feelings weren't hurt.**_

 _ **"We knew from the very start this wasn't going to be easy," he went on casually. "You knew, Maybelline, I know you did."**_

 _ **Maybelline knew… and she also didn't know. She expected the test being extremely hard and excruciating, but she never would have thought it would be so drastic as well. She never would have thought it would be so psychological and filled to the brim with sick mind games.**_

 _ **As the sound of distant voices approached, Kane cautiously turned his head to check if they were still alone, before leaning closer towards her.**_

 _ **"Listen…" he said quietly, his voice unusually soft. "I can't imagine what you saw in there. I'm not here to dismiss it as a part of the simulation or invalidate how you felt about it. It might not be real, but it obviously got to you. The final phase is meant to do that… it is meant to break you…" The voices were getting closer and Marcus lifted his hand to place it almost tenderly on her shoulder. "No matter what you think, Maybelline, or how you feel… it failed."**_

 _ **And just when other people appeared at the other end of the hallway, he walked away, leaving not only a warm sensation on her skin but words that eventually calmed down the storm in her mind. Maybelline already knew she would have to try again and it wouldn't be so abhorrent next time since she already knew what to expect. Because Kane was right - it didn't break her, it couldn't. You can't break what was already broken.**_

xXxXx

They managed to get into the camp almost unnoticed. Or at least the people who actually acknowledged their presence weren't among the nosy ones, so they were safe. With Andrew, Maybelline climbed onto the dropship to where the electric wires ended. They removed one of the panels from the ship and looked for the right one. Completely focused and buried deeply in their own thoughts, they sank into peaceful silence, but as always - it didn't last very long.

"Hey, there," a cheerful voice sounded while his owner struggled to get up to their level on the broken ladder. "What are you doing?"

"Sunbathing," Maybelline deadpanned without even sparing a look at the new arrival.

"Hi, Finn," Andrew greeted and she could almost feel the big smile from his voice.

"Where have you guys been for the last four days? We've been looking-"

"Got it," Maybelline announced as if Collins wasn't even there and Andrew also didn't seem to care either, moving quickly to her side.

"Mind if I link it?" the redhead asked.

"Go ahead. Steady hands…"

"Guys?" Spacewalker tried to butt in again.

"Shut up," Maybelline silenced him bluntly while holding the radio firmly in place.

"This is kinda important, Finn…" Andrew noted patiently, his hands stopping mid-movement.

"Yeah, so is mine thing," Collins kept on bothering them. "Would you meet us in the main tent?"

Maybelline took a breath to refuse, and not politely, but her friend beat her to it.

"Give us ten minutes."

Getting what he wanted, Spacewalker finally left them and Andrew spent quite a while meticulously tying the cables together. After finishing, he deeply exhaled and checked his work one more time, eyes wary. "How does it look?"

Maybelline glanced at the tangle of wires. She was quite glad Andrew took care of it because her heartbeat was already rising with eagerness.

"Like a masterpiece," she quipped, moving her fingers towards the on button. "Ready for a miracle?"

Andrew shot her a quick look before nodding.

"Hit it."

Maybelline pushed it, ready to hear the sweet cracking of static in the next second. Instead, she heard nothing but muffled chattering of children in the background. The little light on the device didn't even light up.

"Hang on, it could still work," Andrew said, seeing her face falling. "Maybe the generators of the dropship are damaged." "If that was the case, the main door wouldn't even open." "It could take some time before it charges. That happens sometimes."

"How long?"

Maybelline didn't have time - she realized it every time night fell, making her cross off another square in her imaginary calendar. Only five days were left until the first scheduled reduction of population up at the Ark and if the radio wasn't about to be working, she had to find some other solution and she had to do it fast.

"Let's give it couple hours," Andrew suggested calmly, having no idea that hundreds of people could be sentenced to death in a less than a week.

xXxXx

When they entered the main tent - where Andrew had to practically drag her - it was quite crowded; Monty, Jasper, and Finn were all sitting around a crate-converted table, and of course Clarke, who gave Maybelline a prudent look as soon as she set a foot inside. Blake's absence was the only good news and it was highly appreciated.

"So?" she cocked her head to one side, deciding to keep the sarcasm low. "What is it?"

"We found a way how to communicate with the Ark," Monty immediately gushed out in excitement.

Maybelline and Andrew exchanged a look - it was safe to say that they were both pretty skeptical about it. After all, they had gone through every possible solution over the past days and they had been trained for this, so there could hardly be something they had overlooked that bunch of teenagers could just-

"The wristbands!" Jasper beamed happily. "They were the key all along."

And the two looked at each other one more time.

"Could it work?" Andrew asked pensively, but Maybelline's mind was already racing.

"The transmitter's still working… there's no way to transmit any audio, but maybe morse code," Maybelline was pondering out loud.

The redheaded boy chuckled in amusement, shaking his head.

"How did you not think of that?" he asked, nudging her with his elbow playfully.

"Me?" Maybelline shot him a look full of disbelief. "You're the one who's been studying the wristbands for years, how the hell-"

"Guys?" Clarke interjected her ever-reasonable self into their little private banter. "We didn't call you here just to brag," she began in confidence before stopping and reluctantly meeting her eyes with all those who had been in attendance before they had joined them. „We need something from you." "What is it?" Andrew questioned.

 _Yeah, what is it, Princess?_

"Your wristband."

 _Oh, hell no._

"Why ours?" Maybelline frowned, instinctively covering her bracelet with her other hand.

"You're the only ones who still have them."

Maybelline blinked in surprise. Sure, she was aware that a great majority of the delinquents no longer had them, but _every single one of them_? Bellamy Blake had been busy.

Her fingers wrapped around her metal bracelet more protectively, there was no way Maybelline was handing it over to them just like that, she couldn't take that risk when she wasn't certain if the plan would work or fail - not with everyone else's wristbands gone.

"I'll do it," said the voice right next to her.

Maybelline turned her head and met his calm eyes, not feeling good about this at all. Unlike her, Andrew still had a family up there - a family that didn't deserve to think he was dead when he wasn't. But he was obviously willing to take the risk, stepping closer to the others.

"Wait-" Maybelline tried to stop him.

"It's fine," he assured her, holding his right hand out to Monty.

The black haired boy carefully took it off his wrist, connecting it to some makeshift device they managed to put together from scraps. Maybelline saw Andrew exhale when the wristband was finally taken off after so many years, and he looked over his shoulder to give her a smile that failed to reassure her. She didn't feel like smiling. With her hands curled up into tight fists, she knew this could either be something absolutely amazing or a total disaster. And considering that this was her life they were talking about…

"What's going on here?" a deep voice sounded and Bellamy Blake stepped into the tent, just in time for the show.

"Geronimo," Monty let out, pressing something on his device.

In that moment, an intense flash of pain went through Maybelline's right arm. The sensation was so achingly familiar that it wasn't the strong electric shock that made her stumble backwards, it was the _memories_. Completely ignoring the presence of the others, Maybelline ran her fingers up her arm. It hurt and itched, but it was nothing compare to the feeling that flooded her insides when she looked at her wristband and found out that the tiny little green light was no longer on.

It was dead.

 _ **"Hold it."**_

 _ **A large glass bowl was placed into her hands and the black haired girl pressed her fingers tightly against it to make sure he couldn't see them shiver. Anxiety was crawling through her chest, suffocating her from the inside while her instincts kept screaming at her that no matter how innocent the situation looked - something horrible was coming her way.**_

 _ **"What is it?" her father asked her, his voice eerily steady.**_

 _ **Maybelline thickly swallowed before answering.**_

 _ **"A bowl."**_

 _ **"You're wrong," Ethan Emery informed her matter-of-factly, the way Maybelline sometimes believed he enjoyed. "It's a test. Look, they are there."**_

 _ **Maybelline looked down, but there was nothing in the bowl.**_

 _ **"… Who?" she asked carefully.**_

 _ **"All the people of the Ark," her father announced. "Their fate is in your hands."**_

 _ **Maybelline felt her blood go cold - the little part of her that still hoped nothing bad was going to happen that day had just died. It didn't make any sense too - she passed the pretest, there was no reason to… She shook her head, scolding herself for being so unbelievably naive.**_

 _ **No matter what she did, there was always a reason.**_

 _ **"What?" her father noticed the slight change in her stance. „Any comments?"**_

 _ **"That's never going to happen," Maybelline spoke up evenly. She already learned that it didn't matter whether she stayed quiet or not - her father wasn't going to stop either way. "Our future will never be in hands of only one person."**_

 _ **"Oh, but it might," Ethan drawled out, his lips twisting into a rueful smile. "And it could as easily be yours, you dull girl. If you pass the test and be with the rest of them on the Ground. Every decision has consequences. Everything you do… everything you don't do."**_

 _ **His words made her think if there was something she could do to prevent all this… and then she realized there was something she had done that made it all happen. Something she couldn't undo. "Very well," her father broke her out of her thoughts, pulling out his taser. "Hold them, protect them. Do everything."**_

 _ **It took exactly twenty-six minutes. Maybelline knew because she counted every second of it. Eventually, the bowl slipped through her numb fingers and shattered itself against the floor into million pieces. Maybelline collapsed, falling right in the middle of those shards, feeling the glass sinking deep into her palms. She hardly even noticed that prickly pain while she tried to catch her breath and stop her body from shaking so violently.**_

 _ **"You would've let them die… All of them," her father stated not sounding surprised at all. More like disgusted. "Is this all you got?!" he pressed, his voice rising with anger. "You can't even make it through an hour?! You should be ready to die for the Ark by now!"**_

 _ **"Why…" Maybelline breathed out heavily. "Why should their lives matter more than mine?" If they were forcing her to sacrifice herself… it wasn't a sacrifice at all. Forced sacrifice is just… murder.**_

 _ **Ethan surprisingly didn't get angry… he laughed. "What makes you think that your life is worth anything at all?" he asked her mockingly. "My mother," Maybelline snapped back without thinking, seeing how her father's face hardened with a snap of fingers. "She used to say that every life matters… That everyone is important."**_

 _ **Her father took a step closer and she lifted her hands up in defense. He stopped and that was when Maybelline realized that nothing else was going to happen. Her palms were bloody from the cuts and he couldn't risk getting any blood on his uniform - that would be hard to explain. He just stood there, his eyes piercing through her with hatred so deep it could take her breath away.**_

 _ **"Your mother was a dreamer…" Ethan spoke up dangerously low without breaking their eye contact. "And now she's dead because of you."**_

 _ **Maybelline took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain growing in her chest.**_

 **It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault.**

 _ **"It was your fault, Maybelline. Everything is your fault."**_

"Maybelline? Are you okay?"

She winced when Andrew put his hand on her shoulder and brought her back to the reality. It only took a moment for her to realize that everyone in the room had gone strangely quiet, and when she turned her head she found Bellamy Blake staring back at her with his black eyes.

None of that mattered to her. Her bracelet wasn't working. The last of them - the last active rectangle on the screen in the control room. The 100 was officially dead to the Ark.

Maybelline started running before she even realized it. Even as Andrew's calls chased her into the edge of the woods, she only delved deeper and ignored him until he had given up. There was no point in running - she couldn't outrun this, there was no escape. Her time had run out and she knew it - without any confirmation that the Earth was survivable, they were bound to hasten up the population reduction, with Kane most likely heading the operation himself -he wouldn't be willing to risk more lives by wasting time. Her only chance was a hundred years old radio and instead of going straight there to check it, she rather stormed away like a little kid. She could only hope that Andrew wasn't such a hopeless disappointment and - as usual - did her work for her.

Resting against a tree, she slid down to the grass, leaning the back of her head against the rough bark. After a while of staring into a barren sky, she pulled out a knife and with one simple move, she removed the dead wristband from her hand. It felt pretty weird getting it off after almost eleven years - the uncovered skin felt soft and raw, except for the part that had a nasty burn from the electric shock. Maybelline turned the useless metal around in her hands and then threw it away as hard as she could. It was only then when she realized she had company. Something moved in the trees in front of her and a moment later, Bellamy Blake nonchalantly came out of the shadows.

"It's just a dumb bracelet," he drawled out lazily, pretending like he had no idea how important that wristband was. "Don't tell me that you'd grown so attached to it."

Maybelline regarded him with a cold glare. It's been four days since she last saw him and it was hard for her to even remember how violently emotional he had been, seeing him now, completely collected and arrogant.

"Why are you here?"

"Call it a curiosity…" he let out carelessly, leaning his back against a nearby tree trunk. "For a moment there I actually caught a glimpse of something _human_ in your face."

She might have lost control over her expression for a few seconds, but _of course_ , Bellamy Blake saw it. It might've been pretty irritating, but having a lot on her mind right now, Maybelline couldn't bring herself to be very bothered with it.

"I don't really get it, though," Bellamy went on, voicing his thoughts, obviously not needing her for this conversation. "Your parents are dead, and I know you well enough to know that you don't care about people in general."

Maybelline averted her eyes from him - this was getting really dull really quickly. Whatever was Blake's motive for doing this little show, she didn't care. It was getting darker with every passing second and instead of wallowing, she probably should have been heading to Mount Weather by now.

"No, it has to be someone specific," he went on, slowly becoming a voice in the distance. "So who is it?"

Maybelline could suddenly see _him_ in front of her eyes, standing confidently in the white hallway at the Ark. He was way too far for her to read his expression, but she could feel the gaze of his green eyes, deep and intensive. Suddenly, there was a big black hole in her stomach.

"Where is your sister?" came out of her lips in an effort to turn it back on Blake. "I haven't seen her in the camp, but I _ **'**_ m sure you're keeping an eye on her, right? Isn't she the reason you originally broke into the dropship? Although, she was almost eaten on her first day here while you were playing the mighty Savior for teenage kids… and where is she now, Bellamy? Isn't she just freely running around in the woods filled with Grounders? It's actually hard to believe that she matters to you at all…"

Bellamy's black eyes went cold, and she could sense his stance quickly changing. This wasn't fun anymore, his family was his weakness and he should have never let Maybelline know that. Given his expression, he probably knew that by now.

He let out a breath.

"Has anyone ever told you you're heartless little-"

"Stop, I'm gonna cry," Maybelline deadpanned, unimpressed by his easy irritation as she turned her eyes to the sky. This could be the end for all of them… and she sat there, chatting with Bellamy Blake.

"I hope they float him," Bellamy cut through the quiet, his voice dark and firm and unforgiving. The sincerity in his voice was almost leaking, he genuinely _wished_ for it. "I hope he snaps finding out that you're dead and attacks the guards. And then they float him."

Maybelline sat there and honestly couldn't believe herself, feeling his words slowly burrowing into her skin.

"He'd never do something like that," she informed him, her voice calm and honeyed. "He's not Octavia Blake."

"So it is a he, huh?" Blake smiled, completely ignoring her provocation. Maybelline blinked and he fully enjoyed every little display of brief insecurity on her features. "You know, you think you're so smart… But the truth is, Little One, you're just as predictable as the rest of the kids."

Bellamy Blake wasn't getting to her, _no way_. His meaningless remarks couldn't have any possible effect on her, _he himself_ couldn't have any effect, being nothing but the unimportant inconvenience he was.

"Well, I don't know…" Maybelline drawled out slowly, looking deep into his eyes. "You seemed kind of surprised when I pushed that little girl off the cliff."

It was too soon - and not only for him. Feeling her insides turn frigid, Maybelline saw the flames that ignited right behind Blake's eyes. Eventually and unexpectedly, he lowered them to the ground.

"They've been talking a lot about her in the camp," he spoke up again, his voice taut and flat, but otherwise he seemed strangely calm. "Calling her a crazy little psychopath."

Bellamy lifted his eyes, purposely locking them with hers. As if he wanted her to confirm it, to tell him that Charlotte truly was dangerous and it was actually better this way.

Maybelline smiled faintly - he was pretty naive if he really believed she was going to make anything easier for him. "Are you here to forgive me?" she breathed out so smoothly, the sarcasm was almost unrecognizable. "Is that what all this is about?"

Blake stared at her, his eyes turning unreadable, and Maybelline was gazing right back - out of silly defiance more than anything else. The dived deep into a heavy silence, and Maybelline realized how unusually quiet their surroundings were. As if everything around watched their little staring contest, not understanding what was happening any more than they did.

"I could have killed you," Bellamy Blake stated bluntly in the darkness, keeping his eyes on her. "More than once. My life would be so much easier without you…"

Maybelline tilted her head, silently analyzing his words. It didn't sound like a threat, it didn't sound like anything but a general statement. She herself had a list of people without whom her life would be so much easier, but she wouldn't give Blake the pleasure nor the importance to have his name on it.

"Well, maybe next time then..." Maybelline said quietly.

Her eyes flickered towards the sky just in time to see a falling star. Maybelline tracked it with her eyes and after some time, it seemed that it was falling right in their direction. It was closing in fast, giving her a better look every passing second. It was a star with an iron structure.

"Blake," Maybelline whispered his name.

He looked up and saw it. The module, still in flames, activated a parachute and disappeared behind the foot of the mountain. She could almost feel the ground shake when it landed, a sudden wave of wind tousled her hair. Maybelline knew from experience that hope was horribly dangerous, but she still didn't figure out the way how to suppress it.

"Do you think the others saw it?" Maybelline asked without taking her eyes off the sky.

She was met with silence and suddenly, she realized who she was actually with. Her mind literally went from 0 to 100 in seconds - what just happened was endlessly important to her, but it was also to Blake, for very different reasons. She snapped her eyes down, finding only an empty tree trunk staring back at her. Bellamy Blake was gone.

xXxXx

Bellamy

Bellamy knew he had to act fast. He had no doubts that Emery would go after him as soon as she realizes he was gone. That thought made him run like a madman, knowing fully well that he can't ease off, not only for a second, he couldn't risk her catching up. Fortunately, Bellamy was very well aware that his life was at stake and the running was actually pretty easy with adrenaline pumping in his veins.

Bellamy convinced himself he still had a chance and wasn't giving up. He managed to destroy the ancient radio Emery and Carlyle brought back in the camp and he was going to manage this as well. He didn't know much about engineering, but the module seemed small - too small for another dropship. They most likely send some telecommunication device to make sure they really died and if that was the case - Bellamy needed to destroy it as soon as it touched the ground.

He kept his eyes locked straight forward, advancing in the same direction for hours without stopping. It got pretty dull around the dawn, his throat was dry and he could no longer feel his legs. The bright side was that he was pretty confident about Maybelline being far behind him. How long could a girl like her manage to run for anyway? If she even was still following him, it was only out of stubbornness. And she could hardly beat Bellamy to it - he was quite determined not to die.

Finally, he spotted some shattered trees in the distance and minutes later, the module. It landed in a clearing, not far away from a river. Bellamy rushed to it, trying to have a look inside, but he could see nothing through the tinted window. Without hesitation, Bellamy opened the door, revealing an unconscious girl with a long gash on her forehead. He ignored her, startled after he heard the static coming out of the radio on the floor. He leaned over to get it and in the moment when he wrapped his fingers around it, he felt something cold on the side of his neck. The sharp edge of a blade.

"Game over, Dauntless," came a velvety voice behind his back.

* * *

 **Hey! Another chapter behind us, I hope you liked it. :)**

 **Thanks to those who favorited and followed, and also shoutouts to ftjenn, Furionknight, queen Ares, LuxSerenity!, lana-del-lover and elle - thank you very much for reviews, guys!**

 **To answer them - Andrew is actually younger than Maybelline and I don't really have faceclaims for them. I think I had some random pictures when I started to write the story, so let me check and then figure out if I could somehow possibly put them here. :D**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think about this chapter and have a wonderful weekend!**


	14. Welcome To My World

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Welcome To My World**

* * *

Bellamy

His heart was beating so rapidly fast that he could hear it thumping in his head. The bells were tolling, there was no questioning it - the only query left was for whom. He squeezed the radio as hard as he could, but it was too solid for him to crush with his left hand… with both of them maybe. As he slightly shifted his weight onto the other leg in order to pivot, he could feel a sharp blade dig into his neck, giving him a light scratch as a warning.

"Don't even try, Blake," Emery warned, her voice smooth and perfectly even, as if where they currently stood was just an everyday occurrence to her. "I'm not like you - I won't hesitate."

Bellamy pressed his lips together tightly. It didn't feel like a bluff, not with her blade pressed tightly against where his blood pumped. He could actually see her slicing his throat over a radio – he had a feeling she'd be prepared to spill his blood for a lot less, if it meant she would get her beloved Ark down here. He needed to buy himself more time to figure out what to do; if there was a was out of this that didn't include him dying.

"Would you… just like that?" he let out tensely – one wrong move and it could all be over.

"Too late for this kind of question, don't you think?"

 _Unquestionably, yeah._

His mind was running at 120% percent, but he still came up short. There was nothing he could grab to use, nothing he could say to distract her. If he was to make a move, she would most likely kill him… But if he just let her take the radio, the Ark would land there and he'd be dead in a few days anyway.

"Now slowly turn around and hand it over," Maybelline ordered, almost patronizingly.

Bellamy did so. He turned to face her with a hard frown and stretched his left hand to her. As Maybelline reached out for the radio, her eyes unconsciously flickered downward to it and the blade moved just a few inches away from his neck - it was now or never.

With one brisk move, he pulled a gun out from his pocket and shifted himself out of her reach, aiming it at her head. He moved fast, but not fast enough - Emery had the time to stick him with her machete, but for some reason… she didn't. Bellamy quickly suppressed that knowledge in his mind.

"Put it down," he ordered in a cold voice. " _Now_!" he added with more force when it became obvious that she wasn't about to put _anything_ down.

The corner of her lips lifted in a smirk.

"Oh, please… We've already been through this once."

Bellamy squeezed the trigger without hesitation; the bullet flew barely an inch past her ear and, with some earned satisfaction, he watched her body tense up at the shot.

"Next time, it'll be your head," he told her harshly. "This is your last chance to drop it."

 _Drop it… Just drop it, dammit._

He stared into her dark, unreadable eyes - this felt different than the last time he had a gun on her. It felt… strange, yet he couldn't quite figure out why. Bellamy knew exactly where he stood and he was also well aware that Maybelline Emery - without a question - was on the other side. Maybe he should have taken Octavia and ran as soon as they landed… maybe he still could have, but why? Why did he have to run? This world could belong to him, and she was the only thing standing in the way.

After what seemed like an eternity, Maybelline finally lifted up her free hand as a sign of surrender. Even though he would never admit it, Bellamy felt relief easing up the pressure held in his chest.

 _Smart of you, Emery. After all, there's nothing else you can do._

Or so Bellamy thought.

Putting her machete down, Emery moved to bend down and Bellamy thus moved closer, the gun unflinching and firmly aimed at her head as a clear warning. Maybelline kept her other hand in the air as she was slowly placing the blade in the damp grass that lay between them. Before it could touch the ground, she swung her hand out and sent the machete sliding right between Bellamy's legs. Instinctually, he dropped his eyes to it just for one second – and it only took a second. Emery moved faster than he considered possible and slapped the gun right out of his hand. Before he could react, Bellamy received an elbow to the chin with such a force it made him fall on his back.

He accidentally dropped the radio, but fortunately pulled himself back together before Emery was able to grab it. He flipped onto his stomach and pushed it away as far as he could before her weight pinned him to the ground. In the next second, Maybelline had his right arm twisted behind his back and she didn't leave it at that, no... she started pulling it up, sending waves of pain through his shoulder. Bellamy thickly let out a breath, trying to get her off, but her knees buried themselves into his lower back as she noticed his resistance, and with every attempt at fighting her off Emery pushed his arm up even quicker, rapidly approaching the point of dislocation. The searing pain was suddenly merged with a cold fear when he realized that this wasn't a warning, she was actually going to go through with it. His _right arm_.

"No!"

"Shh… It'll only take a second," she whispered softly, pushing his arm even further up, causing him even worse agony and he realized that those were the exact same words he had said to her in the cave and it felt like ages ago.

"No! Don't! STOP!" he screamed out in sheer panic, and to his utter surprise, Maybelline actually loosened her grip. He couldn't believe it, but the rough pain was gone, and he was only left with sore, taut muscles.

Emery got off him pretty quickly, but Bellamy pulled himself up just as fast. His life was still at stake, that wasn't something he just could give up on. He caught her ankle before she got far enough from him and yanked it from beneath her. Maybelline fell onto the grass, but by the time Blake managed to get on top of her, she was already on her back and kneed him in the groin so hard, it made him let out a loud grunt and close his eyes for a long moment.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" she muttered and kicked him off her.

Bellamy landed on his back once more, but this time, his hand slammed into something hard and cold, and he quickly wrapped his fingers around it. Pushing himself on his feet, Bellamy started running after her, and when Emery bent over to pick up the radio, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back, making her groan. Pushing her onto her knees, he held her in place firmly and pressed the gun to the back of her head.

This was it. He had won, it was over. He could destroy the damned thing and be free. They all could be free. However, instead of satisfaction or relief washing over him, there was a deep, black hole forming in his stomach. Bellamy could feel his blood running cold because beneath him on the ground, Maybelline Emery chuckled.

"Don't pretend this is your first time," she let out mockingly.

The image of Chancellor Jaha crossed his mind and he couldn't help but realize how different those situations were. That time, he actually felt quite good… before he pulled the trigger.

Bellamy cringed his nose in a sudden wave of irritation. There weren't many people who he truly despised, but this girl… She just kept getting on his nerves, always having something to say and even with a gun pressed to her head.

Pulling on her hair once more, he leaned closer.

"You hesitated," he whispered in her ear and then hit her with the butt of the gun so hard, it immediately sent her into unconsciousness. She collapsed to the ground like a rag doll and to Bellamy's relief, stayed there.

He wiped the blood from his lip and made his way to the radio.

xXxXx

Maybelline

"Maybelline…?"

"Oh, God… Is she breathing?" "What the hell happened?"

The voices sounded so far away, Maybelline could hardly hear them at all. When she opened her eyes, three blurry faces stared down at her. Her head was pounding, every thought felt like a shard of glass, but after a while, she was able to recognize Andrew, Finn and Clarke. She hefted herself up on her elbows, a muffled moan escaping her lips before she could stop it.

"Maybelline?" Andrew was there with his hand on her shoulder and a worried expression on his face.

"Bellamy…" she finally managed to get out, trying to sort her chaotic thoughts, but it was so hard. "He took-"

"Which son of a bitch cut off my radio?!" resounded angrily from the other side of the clearing where a dark-haired girl just scrambled out of what looked like a makeshift spaceship.

"Raven?" Finn exclaimed in shock, and that was the last thing Maybelline remembered before everything went black.

xXxXx

Maybelline opened her eyes again and saw nothing but a tree top looming above her. The wind was gently picking off the leaves and for just a second, everything was alright. Then her insides twisted up in an anxious knot and she knew something horrible had happened - something horrible was _always_ happening. Maybelline could have only wished to be a leaf and just fly away from all of it…

"Eight minutes," a serene voice said and Maybelline turned her head in its direction. Andrew sat next to her, unusually pale compered to his hair that seemed almost crimson red against the sun. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," Maybelline muttered, trying to lift herself up again, but Andrew pushed her back in the grass and she let him. "Where is Bellamy Blake?"

Andrew closed his eyes for a second and then shook his head solemnly.

"Don't worry about it…"

Maybelline's heart sank; it was too late. Of course, it was. It could've taken him maybe two seconds to destroy that radio. In her mind, she saw him standing there, the device in his hand, which made Maybelline frown because she couldn't remember anything beyond that… where the hell did he even get it from?

"Now seriously - how are you?" Andrew pushed on, his voice adamant. "Like I said, it's been eight whole minutes…"

Maybelline looked up at him in confusion.

"Why do you keep saying that?"

Andrew stilled for a moment, blinking.

"You've been out for eight minutes," he explained slowly. "… are you having trouble with your memory?"

Maybelline immediate instinct was to deny it, but the words never came out of her mouth. Her head was killing her, and despite the fact that she was scouring over every inch of her mind, some things were missing.

 _Where the hell the did the radio come from? What are we even doing here?!_

"I'm back!" came loudly and Finn Collins rushed out of the trees with his utterly unnecessary announcement. "I've got water!"

"No water," Andrew snapped back firmly before Maybelline could even realize how incredibly thirsty she was. "I think she has a concussion…"

Maybelline put her fingers on her temples and started rubbing them in harsh circles as if that'd somehow take the pain away.

"I can't remember…" It didn't make any sense to her. There were just black stains upon her memory and it felt so awful. It would all come back to her, wouldn't it? It couldn't just disappear from her mind.

"Yes, I know," Andrew nodded, calmer than ever. "That's one of the side effects of-"

"I know the side effects!" Maybelline cut him off, watching him to purse his lips while frustration and anxiety zealously stirred in her chest. Loss of consciousness? Check. Memory loss? Check. Pain from the depths of hell? Check. Easily irritated? Double check.

"Hey, hey…" Collins reached out to touch her knee, but as soon as he met her eyes, he seemed to change his mind. Maybelline still couldn't figure out what exactly was he even doing there. "It's gonna be okay… Just take a deep breath."

Maybelline let out a heavy sigh and covered her eyes for a moment to push away her weariness. In her mind, she saw dark trees passing her in a hurried, haphazard speed. She was running… but why was she running?

"What's the last thing you remember?" Andrew asked her, very carefully.

Maybelline let her hands slide off her face and her eyes suddenly focused on the fresh scar on her wrist.

"My wristband fried," she muttered, trying to calm down a little. "… I was running… Bellamy got the radio."

The redheaded boy slowly nodded.

"Last night, Raven Reyes landed on Earth in a hundred year old pod. My guess is that you and Blake saw it falling like everybody else had and went looking for it."

It felt like Andrew was drawing the pictures right back into her mind. Yes, she remembered her pathetically childish run in the woods, Blake following her and the burning star falling through the black sky.

"Judging by the look of his face, you had a small disagreement," Finn added, the sardonic satisfaction in his voice loud and clear.

Maybelline remembered that too. Most vibrantly, she remembered the panic in his voice when she was about to dislocate his arm. She remembered him clearly trying to make a move while her blade was on his neck. What the hell was wrong with her - why couldn't she just finally follow through with it?

Her eyes darted up to Spacewalker.

"You found him?"

"Yeah, we did," Collins replied bitterly. "It was too late, though, he already threw the radio in the river. Raven tried to beat the crap out of him, that was a highlight."

"Then she told us four hundred people are going to die tonight," Andrew stated matter-of-factly, his usually vibrant blue eyes mattified in a mixture of shame and helplessness. "The Ark thinks we're dead and Raven's radio was the last chance to prove otherwise."

Maybelline's blood went cold at the reminder of why she was lying on the ground. She couldn't deny that at least part of her also ran cold at the memory that she hadn't confided in Andrew with that information, and now it could easily be his parents sentenced to death – and Maybelline wasn't completely blameless in that.

Maybelline took a breath.

"Andrew, I-"

"Not now," he smoothly cut her off, putting his hands under her arms. "We need to get you back to camp…"

"What about the radio?" Finn asked, moving to her other side to offer support.

"It's too late," Andrew answered tonelessly. "Even if they did find it in one piece, it won't work until it's dry and that'll také time."

"What about that thing you were doing on the dropship? Won't that help?"

Maybelline blinked in surprise as she had almost entirely forgotten about the radio they had found in the bunker. She turned her head to Andrew knowing there was still some hope, the smallest of chances…

"No," he replied simply. "It got stolen."

Of course, it did.

xXxXx

"You don't have to be here, I don't need a babysitter…"

Maybelline and Andrew spent hours in their tent and however impossible it might have seemed, most wordless. Maybelline lay down, fighting a throbbing headache, trying to stay awake and Andrew sat by the tent's exit, sharpening one wooden spear after another. When she spoke to him, he barely even shrugged, his eyes fixed on the wood. Maybelline could never claim to be a master of confrontation when it came to Andrew, but this couldn't just go on forever.

"So what, you're like done with me?" she asked him directly.

The redhead didn't even bother lifting his head.

"I'm not," he replied calmly. "I just don't wanna talk about it."

 _Oh, really, Maybelline Emery screwed up? It must be Monday._

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna resolve-"

"When I saw you on that clearing, I thought you were dead," Andrew stated, his voice temperate, but slightly strained. "So I'm sorry if I'm not in the mood to be mad at you right now."

Maybelline pressed her lips together and turned to her other side. When was the last time she had actually won an argument with this guy? The headache wasn't getting any better, they had no way of communicating with the Ark, four hundred people were going to die tonight – a trivial fight with her friend shouldn't bother her. But it did. Maybe because right now, it was the only thing she could do something about.

"There's nothing to resolve," Andrew spoke up again indifferently. "You should've told me - you didn't. Nothing's gonna change that so let's just move on."

That was not how it worked and Maybelline knew it. The things they hadn't talked about still hung over them like a shadow. They never talked about the day Andrew got arrested and Maybelline still didn't want to, but in the back of her mind, it was still hanging there, waiting… She didn't want to add any more to the shadow.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the silence.

Andrew sighed deeply.

"You were always in a rush… now I know why."

Without adding another word, Maybelline closed her eyes for a moment. Andrew wasn't ready to let it pass, not yet, but this was a start. Now she had time to focus on how miserable she actually felt. There was no doubt she had a concussion and she doubted it was a mild one at that. Just turning her head too quickly made her nauseated and the pain wasn't going away either. She knew she needed to stay awake, but her tiredness was getting the best of her…

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Andrew's aggressive exclamation revived her instantly. Maybelline never heard her little pacifist friend use such a hateful tone before, and she turned around to see who it was aimed at, although it wasn't much of a mystery. There was only one person Andrew could've truly been fed up with and he was currently standing at their tent opening.

Bellamy Blake, his confidence for once wavering, cleared his throat.

"I came here-"

"To finish what you started in the woods?" the redhead cut him off swiftly, his voice cold and full of bitterness.

Maybelline blinked in surprise, slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position. Blake was taken aback by that as much as she was, flickering his eyes back and forth from Andrew to her.

"No," he said hoarsely, turning to her. "I just need to talk to you."

Andrew jumped to his feet, shaking his head.

"Not gonna happen."

Maybelline had to suppress an amused scoff. Looking at them, Andrew seemed really worked up and angry, whereas Blake actually seemed calm and tentative. She wondered when that little switch had happened.

"Oh, come on…" she stretched out. "I would _love_ to humor him."

Andrew turned his eyes to her, giving her a cutting glare.

"Be quiet, Maybelline."

It was curious how something funny turned into something awful in one second. Andrew was obviously in a bad place and she could hardly blame him - his parents' lives were on the line.

"Maybe you should take a break," she said, and quite frankly meant it.

Andrew frowned, then let out a quiet snort and stormed out of the tent, jolting the elder Blake in the process. Bellamy merely raised his eyebrows and wordlessly pulled the opening shut behind him.

The tent was plunged into a blanket of silence immediately. Bellamy turned his head to face her as if he was waiting for something and Maybelline finally got a chance to take a proper look at him. His lip was split and his chin was darkened with bruise; other than that he looked fine, maybe a little pale. Everyone seemed a little pale lately…

Maybelline kept her eyes on him and it felt so strange, as if every time they met, they encountered a different version of each other. Every single time.

"Well, hello there, future serial killer," she broke the quietness with an easy tone – joviality was always greatly appreciated when there were lives on the line. "Or is mass murderer more accurate? I'm not really sure…"

Blake eyes darkened a bit, but other than that he kept on scowling at her. Maybelline didn't understand what he was waiting for, and honestly, she didn't really care.

"Is this your idea of talking?" she raised her eyebrow.

Bellamy dropped his eyes to the ground, shaking his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he muttered - more to himself than anyone else.

 _How much time do you have?_

"Some serious shit just hit the fan - why are you acting like this?" he spoke up more loudly, boldly looking her in the eye. "I thought you'd at least…"

„At least what?"

„Say something. Do something."

Maybelline said nothing, thinking his words over. Maybe this wasn't a normal reaction, maybe she should treat him differently after everything that had happened… But with all the pain, anxiety, frustration, and disappointment she felt; there was simply no room for rage, or revenge because, in the end, Blake didn't do anything she wouldn't have expected him to do. It had been her job to stop him and she failed. It had nothing to do with him.

"I didn't know about it," Bellamy stated firmly, his eyes pinned to hers. "About the defect, about the population reduction, I didn't-"

"Okay," Maybelline cut him off calmly. "You didn't know."

Bellamy's eyebrows instantly shot up, obviously in shock that she'd trust anything that came out of his mouth.

"Not everyone sees it that way…" he muttered.

"Are the other kids being mean to you?" Maybelline asked, her voice filled with fake compassion. "Do you want me to go talk to them?"

Bellamy kicked up his regular glare to a murderous one.

"Why did you even come here, Blake?"

"I don't know…" Bellamy threw his hands in the air, letting out a hard breath of air. "Why's everyone always coming to you?"

 _That was a rhetorical question, right?_

"As much as it pains me to say it… you know what you're doing." _Why, thank you._ "Nothing shocks you, and you always look like you have all the answers." _If that was true, I would have killed you a long time ago._

Out of nowhere, Blake pulled a gun out of his pocket and before Maybelline could even react, he outstretched his hand out, handing it over. Maybelline took it without a hesitation.

"I destroyed the radio you and Carlyle had on the dropship," he confessed.

Maybelline looked up at him, waiting for the rage wave run through her, but nothing happened. It was him, of course it was him. He destroyed everything, it was his fault - all of it… _Well_ , wouldn't it have been nice if she actually believed it?

"You gave me the gun back so I could end you with it, right?" Maybelline questioned, the gun sitting cold in her lap.

"You could do that," Bellamy responded carefully. "Or you could… _do something_."

Maybelline stared at him and quite honestly couldn't believe him or his nerve.

 _What the hell do you want me to do?_

"We found the radio," Blake added quickly. "If you could-"

"My knowledge in engineering is limited," Maybelline cut him off curtly. "Raven Reyes is one of the best-"

"She said maybe three days," he cut her off too. "We don't have three days. Is there anything else?"

Maybelline closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose hard. Why the hell was she even having this conversation? There was no way, no other damn way, she went through all the options a million times already!

"Tell me that you have the answer," Bellamy pressed urgently and Maybelline had never been more ready to shoot him.

He was talking to her as if it was simple, as if she had all the answers stuffed in her pockets with dozens of other wide ranging options, but she didn't! Everything was still the _same_. There weren't any new variables or developments on the board, nothing had changed!

Maybelline opened her eyes in a sudden realization.

She was stupid, she was straight up pure moron. Because something _had_ changed…

"What?" Bellamy asked, noticing the shift in her features, but before she could say anything, the tent opened and Raven Reyes stuck her head inside.

"Oh, great, you're both here," she commented drily. "I'm going to pick up some seriously volatile fuel from my pod and I thought - who would I love to bring along on a suicide mission?"

Maybelline didn't even take a breath.

"Are you building a missile?"

Surprise ran over engineer's face, but she shook it off pretty quickly.

"There's no time to dream small, Emery, I'm building three."

xXxXx

The missiles lit up the night, throwing light on the unforgiving ground below. All of them watched the inky sky long after they disappeared behind a mountain, quietly, in expectation.

"How do we know if it worked?" Jasper let out the question everyone around was probably too scared to ask.

"We won't," Raven answered bluntly, standing only a few people away.

Jasper and Monty exchanged worried glances and they weren't the only ones. The children around started whispering, and soon enough, whispers turned into a nervous rumble.

"If they saw the missiles, it's an undeniable prove that we're alive," Maybelline spoke up evenly. "Following the protocol, they could land here in two days."

Clarke standing next to her nodded, buried deeply in her own thoughts. "So we have to wait two days…"

"What if nothing happens in two days? What if they didn't see it?" Collins tried to ask discreetly, but Maybelline doubted there was a person in that crowd who didn't hear him.

"They should be alright for a while… But if the default in the ventilation can't be fixed - more population reduction is in order."

No need to say that her statement didn't do much to lift up the mood. Maybelline turned to Andrew, licking her lips and watching his side profile as he gazed up above.

"Did you do the math?"

The redhead looked down at her, his eyes strangely lifeless.

"The sky is pretty clear tonight… Raven's missiles thrusters pushed-"

"So?" Maybelline stopped his beating around the bush.

"Optimistically? Fifty-eight percent."

"That's good, isn't it?" Jasper pushed on hopefully. "That's more than a half."

"It's just a theory," Maybelline remarked, trying to be realistic. "We don't know what's going on up there at the moment. We died for them yesterday, _all_ of us. It's quite possible that no one's even looking in our direction anymore…"

"Look!" Octavia exclaimed, pointing at the sky, and was followed by many other gasps.

Maybelline looked up and her heart sank. Tiny white droplets filled the sky, raining down on the Earth. Most of the kids were amazed by them, liking how pretty they looked expanding against the darkness, having no idea what they actually meant…

"Oh my God…" Clarke choked out in shock, her eyes suddenly filled with tears as her lower lip quivered. She, too, knew the actual truth - the Ark didn't see them in time, if at all.

Raven was blinking at the sky as if she couldn't quite believe it.

"That's not a meteor shower, is it?"

"No," Andrew replied with finality before she could even finish her question. "We were too late…"

"You don't know that," Bellamy blurted out, that being the first time in a while that he had spoken up.

"I _do_ know," Andrew snapped back angrily and Maybelline reached out to touch his arm. Him not shaking her hand off was a good sign.

Clarke turned to stiff Blake with hatred in her eyes. "Are you happy now?" she asked him acidly.

The whisper around them turned into a loud hum; more and more kids were finding out what the 'beautiful' display in the sky actually meant. Maybelline heard some denying, gasping, even sobbing… She turned around and started to make her way out of the crowd - there was nothing else she could do now.

"It's your fault!" someone screamed. Maybelline wasn't able to recognize who was it, but the accusation was loud enough and everybody's attention suddenly turned to Bellamy Blake.

"He's right… you did this!" Peter, the youngest kid of the hundred, loudly agreed.

With the snap of fingers - others immediately joined in the building jeers. Pointing fingers and raging, blaming their not long ago glorified leader for everything. As the atmosphere around thickened, Maybelline saw an image in her head; John Murphy with a noose around his head, swinging through the air.

"You're right!" Maybelline cried out, resounding enough to be heard over the uproar. "It's all his fault… He's guilty - so let's punish him!" She was turning around, watching them all fall silent, still. Even the slowest of them could tell that something wasn't quite adding up. The tone of her voice, or the look she had in her eyes… "Want me to fetch the rope?" Maybelline once again called out, this time was her voice filled with dry sarcasm. "How about beheading, that sounds fun too, no? Let's do it right here!" She strongly patted a tree stump right next to her that had been her stool.

"I think they got your point, Maybelline…" Andrew spoke up carefully.

"Did they?" Maybelline wondered aloud. "I don't know… It seems to me like they think they're not just as guilty as their Great Leader here."

"That's not the truth!" Atom loudly protested.

"Isn't it?" Maybelline asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. "Where is your wristband?"

The boy didn't have an answer for that - his face quite obviously fell when he touched his bare wrist, but that wasn't enough for Maybelline. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she climbed up onto the stump to take a good look at the offenders.

"The Ark wouldn't have floated so many people if they had some viable data from us… Maybe they wouldn't have floated any. _Where are your wristbands_?!"

There was no reply from the crowd. People were shifting uncomfortably around, exchanging looks with their friends, waiting for someone else to step forward and defy her, but no one did.

With a bitter chuckle, Maybelline shook her head.

"Shifting the blame is easy, isn't it? Well, tough luck, you don't get to come out of this clean-handed. We're all responsible. Welcome to the world of adults where every action has consequences."

 _Welcome to my world._

Maybelline pointed a finger at herself. "I didn't manage to get the telecommunication together." Then at the young Asian boy below her. "Monty burned out the last two working wristbands." And so it went on. "Raven wasn't fast enough in building the missiles. Dauntless destroyed the radio. And you took them off - out of defiance, spite or boredom, under pressure or in exchange for something - it doesn't matter, you all took your wristbands off."

They knew she was right. Some of them maybe weren't ready to accept it, but their silence was louder than anything else. Maybelline wouldn't let them take the easy way out, not from this, never again. This mattered, their actions mattered. It was time for them to learn that.

"Four hundred people died today, so sleep tight knowing that you played your role in it."

The crowd around them started to slowly dissolve and it was about time because Maybelline began to feel nausea thickening in her head. Before she could even attempt to get back down, two hands appeared out of nowhere and Andrew pulled her to him, not letting go of her.

"And here I was, thinking you didn't care," he whispered in her ear playfully, but Maybelline was swift to detect the sadness in it.

"Shut up and get me out of here," Maybelline groaned as another wave of pain cascaded through her.

Lifting her eyes, she spotted Blake standing on the other side of the camp, an unreadable expression on his face. If the Ark didn't see them, he won. They would never come down there, _his_ actions would never have consequences. He should've been celebrating…

 _No,_ Maybelline thoughts to herself. _Four hundred people are dead. He won't be celebrating for a long time…_

They had almost reached their tent when they heard yelling. Turning around, Maybelline saw a few people by the unfinished wall, their fingers pointing above. She looked up just in time to see a flare running through the sky and disappearing beyond the horizon.

They saw them… but not in time.

* * *

 **Hi there! :)**

 **Another chapter's out and for once - I can promise you the next one will be posted soon.**

 **Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed and especially reviewed - I really appreciate it.**

 **So as always, let me know what you think and see you again soon!**


	15. What Andrew Did

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 100, only my OC.**

Third person POV

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Memories**_

Enjoy!

* * *

 **What Andrew Did**

* * *

Maybelline

Andrew had never been more focused than during their training sessions. His smile disappeared from his jolly face and was replaced entirely by a stern, stoic expression. His eyes had always appeared to see more than everyone else's, but when they battled - they were even sharper, piercing through everything in their way.

Maybelline was used to his stance, she was used to his speed, his strength, even the fact that he always tried to trick her somehow - although he usually succeeded anyway. Not today, though. Today she let him knock her machete out of her hand while her other one snatched one of his knives. Today it was harder than ever before. She felt weaker than ever, a dull pain dominated her head relentlessly, yet in the end - Andrew was on the ground with her on top of him, pinning him down.

Pressing the dull side of his own blade to his neck, Maybelline couldn't help but smirk a little. What a surprise it was for her when she noticed that Andrew's face was still quite serious.

"You're totally out of your game," he calmly informed her.

Maybelline rolled her eyes, letting go of him and getting up to her feet.

"Are you always this sore when you lose?" she jabbed.

"You wouldn't know, would you?" Andrew sneered without missing a beat.

Maybelline let out a quiet scoff.

 _That little bastard…_

"I told you to stay in bed for one more day," he noted.

"And I told _you_ \- I'm fine," Maybelline retorted bluntly.

Andrew threw his arms in the air.

"You're fine? Alright, then! Next up is aim…"

Maybelline turned to him with furrowed eyebrows.

"… is this some kind of test?"

"Damn right it's a test," Andrew admitted shamelessly while passing by her. "The test of how royally Bellamy Blake could screw you up with one blow in the head."

 _Right below the belt, awesome._

Maybelline watched him use his knife to carve a quick target on the tree trunk with an exasperated expression on her face, shaking her head. She might not have been at her strongest right now, but she was still completely capable of doing absolutely anything she needed to.

"This is ridiculous…"

"I'm telling you - your fight was… unbalanced," Andrew spoke up again, not letting it go. "You had – have - a concussion."

"Allegedly," Maybelline sniped back, even though there was practically no doubt he was right. "Since when were they training medics up in the Skybox, Doctor Carlyle?"

The redhead spun around to give her a long, thoughtful look.

"You don't have to do this…"

Maybelline didn't like the look in his eyes one bit. Uninterested, she turned away, inspecting the dirt beneath her feet.

"Do what exactly?"

"Pretend," Andrew specified simply. "They saw us, they're gonna land here any time now, probably this evening. Everything should be a cakewalk from here on out…"

"Don't you ever say that!" Maybelline snapped, rolling her eyes at his idiocy as she spun back around. "You're practically begging for some crap to go down."

"Whatever…" Andrew chuckled, walking back to her spot, handing her three of his knives. "Here… Prove me wrong."

Maybelline scoffed, turning towards the target. The bullseye may have been far away, but in comparison to their training at the Ark, it was nothing. Her head may have been still a little sore, but that would hardly stop her from putting Andrew back in his place. In less than five seconds, all three knives were stuck deep in the wood. Maybelline turned to the redheaded boy with a pretentious expression on her face only to meet his dead-serious blue eyes.

"You missed."

"Yeah, right," she drawled out sarcastically.

"Go check it out, you'll see," Andrew invited simply.

Maybelline didn't move from her spot, tilting her head to a side.

"Oh, so now I have a problem with my coordination and my sight? How sweet…"

"Inner ear damage due to a severe concussion is what you have," he slowly spelled it out for her, the patience itself. "See for yourself."

Maybelline suppressed the irritation that arose - his controlling behavior was starting to get on her nerves. It only took her a split of a second to check the target and then flicker her eyes back to Andrew.

"It's a center," she insisted.

"It's not a clear center," Andrew retorted readily, like he knew just what she was going to say before saying it.

"It's still a center, though."

"It's a large target, May, and you barely hit the outline of the center. Ergo - you missed."

"I'm _fine_ ," Maybelline retorted bitterly, taking another knife from him. "You want proof? I can hit that target of yours with my eyes closed."

Without turning around, Maybelline sent the blade through the air and a moment later - a muffled scream sounded. She quickly turned around, seeing Octavia Blake standing right next to their training tree – and Andrew's knife a fair amount of distance from the center.

Octavia might have been startled for a moment, but she put herself together instantly, replacing her shaken expression with a firm one.

"We need to talk," she announced in a strong voice while looking directly at Maybelline, her pointed nose tilted into the air.

The black haired girl raised her eyebrows at that.

"Do we?"

"Now!" Octavia demanded and marched away from them.

Maybelline turned to Andrew with an incredulous expression, but the redhead merely shrugged.

"You should better go."

"What?" Maybelline blinked in utter surprise, letting out a scornful laugh in her disbelief. "No way! Under whose orders?"

„You almost put a knife through that girl's head. I think you owe her a moment of your time," Andrew pointed out.

Maybelline frowned.

"Define 'almost' for me, will you?"

Andrew sighed deeply while glancing up at the clouds.

"That wasn't a clear center, Maybelline, and you know it. You're still recovering from a bad concussion and if Shumway was here, you'd be immediately- Where are you going?"

Maybelline was already striding away to the direction where Octavia was headed.

"Anything's better than listening to your lecture," she called before disappearing into the distance.

Finding the younger Blake wasn't difficult - she hadn't walked that far away from them and then just placed herself on the top of a fallen tree, with her arms bossily folded across her chest.

"Right from the start - I'm not here because I enjoy your company, okay?" Octavia started off as soon as Maybelline was within earshot. "You're an impervious, cold-hearted, sarcastic bitch and your head is stuck so far up Jaha's ass you can't even-"

"Oh, I get it…" Maybelline raised her hand to stop her monologue, a fake sad expression on her face. "You want to make me cry, is that it?"

Octavia narrowed her eyes.

"Let's cut to the chase… I want something from you."

Maybelline let out an amused chuckle.

"Let me guess, was it your brother who taught you how to ask someone for a favor? _That_ would explain a lot…"

Octavia ignored her remark completely and jumped down, stepping closer to her with unquestionable confidence. "You're gonna teach me how to fight," she stated with a smirk on her face.

Maybelline didn't even blink. "No, I'm not," she responded flatly.

 _The balls on these Blakes…_

With a snap of two fingers, there were flashes of fury in Octavia's eyes.

"Why? You don't think I have it in me?!"

Without a warning, Octavia curled up her fingers into a small fist and swung straight at Maybelline's face. Maybelline dodged her hand almost automatically, caught her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, pushing her face down into the dirt, all before the girl could even realize what was happening.

"Do something like that again and I'll break your arm," she informed her sweetly while holding her down.

Octavia tried to wiggle herself out of her grasp, but Maybelline held her down tightly.

"Screw you, Emery!" she spat out in frustration.

Maybelline got off of her and stepped aside, wiping her hands together.

"I'm not gonna waste my time because you want to bother others around and show off."

Octavia scrambled back to her feet, rubbing her sore arm.

"You're just like my brother!" she barked angrily, viciously.

"That's the worst thing anyone's ever said to me," Maybelline monotonously retorted without missing a beat.

Octavia let out an irritated growl and, without saying another word, flipped Maybelline off before running deeper in the woods. Maybelline watched her go, shaking her head in disbelief. She was like a petulant, spoiled little girl.

 _To hell with these Blakes…_

xXxXx

Maybelline had no intentions of rejoining Andrew and letting him do even _more_ checkups so he could evaluate if she was well enough to go to school. She headed back to camp where the work on the wall was in process and got there just in time to witness Jasper dropping a log down onto Mason Ferry's foot. The older boy's face went red as he winced in pain and Jasper started apologizing while trying to pick the log up again.

"Just leave it!" Mason hissed and when the younger boy didn't listen, his voice got louder. "I said drop it, Jordan! You're off for the rest of the day, you're just a risk for others… Go!"

Jasper apologized one more time and, with his head bent down, he walked away from the scene, sitting down on a nearby makeshift bench. Without thinking it through, Maybelline slowly went over and sat down beside him.

"You saw, huh?" The younger boy let out without even giving her a look, absentmindedly tearing a handful of grass from the ground.

Maybelline might not be the smoothest diplomat around, but even she could try acting obvious if she wanted to.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied easily, earning a skeptical look from Jasper.

"Yeah, right…" he mumbled, going back to staring at the ground.

Maybelline had to suppress a small smile. Something about this was… _refreshing_. Normal, everyday problems. Jasper was one of the youngest kids around, all arms and legs, slender, not as good at building as the rest of the boys, and his pride was wounded by it. An image of a spear cutting through the air and pinning him to a tree like a butterfly ran through her mind and suddenly there was nothing to smile about anymore.

Maybelline's eyes instantly slid down from his face.

"… how's your chest?" she asked softly.

"How's _your chest_?!" Jasper shot back defensively as he whipped his stare up to meet hers, his face immediately turning red, his eyes widening. "I-I mean…"

Maybelline chuckled in amusement at both - his retort and his swift reaction to it, before she could stop herself, and she really should have because it just so happened that Finn Collins was nearby.

"Oh my God…" he theatrically gasped for air. "Did she just laugh?"

Maybelline openly rolled her eyes at him, suppressing a groan at his mere voice.

"Take a hike, Spacewalker," she told him, turning to young Jordan with a small smirk on her face. "This is a private conversation about my chest."

Jasper put his face in his hands, covering his blush and his smile.

Finn's eyebrows shot up to the sky.

"Sounds like fun!" he snickered.

Maybelline gave him an unamused look.

„Is privacy not a word you're familiar with?"

Collins took a breath, obviously ready to give a lecture: "Little One-"

„Stop calling me that, it's getting old," Maybelline interrupted him swiftly.

"What's wrong with a little nickname, huh?" Finn questioned easily with a sly smile on his face. "Too _personal_?"

"Since it's superficial and unoriginal - everything."

"Oh, but I'm not calling you _Little One_ because you're small. It's because of your cute and bubbly personality," he told her bluntly. Was it possible that her sarcasm had started to rub on him? "Look, I can leave, but I was sent to sort the berries," he pointed at the barrels close by. "so I'll be eavesdropping anyway. Just so you know." Throwing his hands in the air, he made those few steps aside, burying his hands into their supplies.

"What a jerk," Maybelline quietly mumbled to herself.

"He's actually kinda amazing," Jasper interjected with a big smile on his face - his sulking time seemingly over. "Do you know why he's called a Spacewalker?"

Maybelline's face remained unimpressed.

"Is it because he went into space and cost the Ark two weeks of valuable oxygen?"

Jasper's face dropped immediately.

"Yeah…" he let out, tearing another handful of grass. "I guess _literally everything_ has consequences…"

 _Look at him. Fifteen and so wise._

"It does," Maybelline emphasized meaningfully. "Even smoking weed with your friend."

Jasper stilled for a moment, then turned to her with his eyes wide open, stunned.

"… How much do you actually know about us?!"

"What is there to know?" Maybelline shrugged it off.

Jasper sort of pursed his lips, thinking it over.

"It's kinda unfair, you know…"

 _Are you telling me that LIFE is UNFAIR? Hear, hear!_

"Is it just me or are you dying to share some details about your life?" he grinned at her excitedly, before actually meeting Maybelline's stern look. "Oh, just me then, okay… What about him?" Jasper pointed a finger at Andrew who had just walked in the camp in the distance. "He's like your best friend, no? He was training with you for the Rorchack test before getting locked up, right?"

Maybelline closed her eyes and brought her hand up, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Collins really doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut," she muttered, turning her head, only to see Finn standing nearby, giving her a face splitting smile.

"What did he do?" Jasper asked, suddenly very curious.

Maybelline lifted her head and met Andrew's eyes instantly. There was no doubt that he had heard what Jasper said and that his mind played for him the exact same memory as it did for her…

 _ **Maybelline just couldn't sit down, even though it was hard to stand. Leaning against the cold wall in the hallway, she was watching the large digital clock right in front of her. Every second lasted an hour… and every moment passing was more numbing than the one before.**_

 _ **It hadn't even been fifteen minutes since her father was floated. She was there, watching it with her own eyes, yet still couldn't believe it.**_

 _ **It couldn't have been true, it simply couldn't have.**_

 **This couldn't be over - it would never be over…**

 _ **"Maybelline?"**_

 _ **She forcefully peeled her eyes off the clock, placing them on the redheaded boy who just came running from behind the corner. Seeing the look on her face, Andrew stilled for a moment, his agile blue eyes swiftly analyzing every inch of her expression.**_

 _ **"He's… gone," Maybelline exhaled heavily, feeling an incredible weight lift from her body along with those words. All that remained was the deep pit in her stomach.**_

 _ **"Yes," Andrew nodded, clearing his throat and stepping up. "He is." Gently, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be okay."**_

 _ **Maybelline's eyes drifted away, back to the clock on the wall.**_

 _ **Suddenly, the digits were changing way too quickly, she couldn't even keep a track of them.**_

 **What the hell is going to happen now…?**

 _ **"They're both gone…" she whispered quietly and that was the brutal truth. Her mother… and her father. Gone.**_

 _ **"Look at me, May. Look." He took her face into his palms, lifting it up so he could meet her eyes. "I'm here," he said, his voice firm and unbreakable, filling Maybelline up with something warm and bright. "I'm still here."**_

 _ **The door next to them slid open and Marcus Kane stood at the threshold, his green eyes as inaccessible as ever. Meeting his gaze, Andrew's face hardened and he let his hands slide down away from her.**_

 _ **"You're needed in the infirmary, Carlyle," Kane callously announced.**_

 _ **"What for?" Andrew inquired without breaking their eye contact.**_

 _ **"Go find out," the Councilman suggested bluntly, not willing to reveal any further information.**_

 _ **Andrew narrowed his eyes a little bit and then flickered them back to Maybelline, who just nodded, signalizing to him that it was okay to leave. The redhead quickly turned on his heel and rushed away; his steps were echoes fading away in the distance, but other ones were quickly approaching.**_

 _ **"Thank you…" Maybelline breathed out while they still had a moment of privacy. "For everything."**_

 _ **Two engineers just popped up at the end of the hallway and Marcus pulled out a small tablet from his pocket, casually checking some data.**_

 _ **"I don't know what you're talking about," he said without sparing her a glance.**_

 _ **Maybelline understood how things worked and she waited patiently until the hall became completely theirs again, noting how Kane's posture immediately changed and his green eyes dived into hers.**_

 _ **"How are you?" he asked softly.**_

 _ **Maybelline swallowed thickly, her eyes flickering to the clock one more time.**_

 _ **"I… I don't know. I don't… feel anything," she replied honestly.**_

 _ **Marcus nodded, moving closer to her, almost tentative.**_

 _ **"That's a good thing. Emotions just get in the way. All you need now is a purpose… Do you have one?"**_

 _ **Maybelline's eyes remained glued to his as she gave him the answer she knew she was supposed to give.**_

 _ **"To pass the Rorchack test."**_

 _ **Kane furrowed his brows a little.**_

 _ **"Is that really what you want?" he questioned without breaking their eye contact, not even for a second.**_

 _ **"It's what I'm supposed to do." It was - after all - the only thing she knew.**_

 _ **"That's right," Marcus gave her a thin smile. "It's your responsibility. One day this will all be over… everything will change and you will be able to do anything you wish for… but we have to get there first, Maybelline. No shortcuts."**_

 _ **Maybelline nodded, soaking all his words in like a sponge. Whatever came from Marcus Kane's mouth - it always made a perfect sense to her. It gave her stability, certainty. He was there for her, even though it was complicated and he couldn't be there for her all the time… he tried.**_

 _ **Andrew was there too - he was always there.**_

 _ **Maybelline looked up at the clock and it didn't matter how much time had passed.**_

 _ **She wasn't alone.**_

 _ **xXxXx**_

 _ **Maybelline met up with Andrew later that day. She was just heading into the eatery when he showed up, looking all flustered and worn out.**_

 _ **"Are you alright?" Maybelline asked carefully, scanning him with her narrowed eyes.**_

 _ **"Peachy," Andrew puffed out, seemingly distracted. "Starving, actually. Those idiots made me skip lunch and almost dinner, too! What would I do?"**_

 _ **"Probably survive," Maybelline chuckled in amusement. "What about the infirmary?"**_

 _ **"Oh, that?" Andrew just waved it off, wiping droplets of sweat from his forehead. "Just some missing data, they had to test me again… Boring."**_

 _ **Maybelline was watching him and seeing how edgy he was, she started thinking if the cards had actually switched. Maybe Andrew would be the one freaking over stuff for a while and Maybelline would be the chill, carefree friend. With that image in her head, she had to genuinely smile. For the first time in a very long time, she had a feeling it was going to be okay… All things would eventually work out.**_

 _ **"Well, let's hope dinner's worth it," she said, turning around. As soon as she did, she felt a sting in her neck and then she dived into nothingness.**_

 _ **Maybelline woke up to the sound of an annoying, constant beeping. Her eyelids were incredibly heavy, but after some time, she finally managed to open them and was left staring at the stark white ceiling. Turning her head slightly to the side, she saw Andrew standing a few steps away, his back to her, his hands adjusting something.**_

 _ **"Andrew…" she got out hoarsely through her dry mouth, watching him go stiff. "What…"**_

 _ **He spun around, his eyes ten years older and full of regret.**_

 _ **"I'm sorry, May…" he exhaled heavily. "I really am. But this… it's the only way."**_

 _ **Maybelline suddenly realized where they were - this was the infirmary. Confused to the core, she tried to lift herself up, but the leather straps around her wrists and stomach held her in place.**_

 _ **"What…?" Maybelline didn't understand any of this, her voice hitching in panic. "Let me… out!"**_

 _ **Andrew rushed to her as soon as he heard the rising terror in her voice. One of his hands held her down, while the other stroked her hair.**_

 _ **"You're safe, it's fine, I swear," he kept on repeating that mantra, causing Maybelline to become more puzzled and nervous with every word.**_

 _ **After a while, she couldn't bear the intense look in his eyes and turning her head, she noticed there was an unconscious person laying in the bed next to her. The woman's face faced the other way, but her long hair was spread all over her pillow, the exact same color as Andrew had.**_

 _ **Maybelline blinked in shock.**_

 _ **"That's…" she couldn't seem to bring herself to finish her sentence.**_

 _ **"My mom, yeah," Andrew nodded, his eyes dropping to the floor. "She got sick… I didn't want to tell you, but she's doing really bad and they already wasted all her possible medical resources; they won't give her any more. The thing is… she's not going to survive if she doesn't get more - she needs more."**_

 _ **And just like that,**_ **everything** _ **made sense. Maybelline looked down at her arm and as expected - there was a needle and tube leading away from her skin. She gasped for air, watching in consternation as her blood was leaving her body. Andrew was the only person she had ever told about what her mother had done - he was the only one who knew about the drug in her system and now he was… This wasn't real. This couldn't be the truth, right? No, it couldn't be. This was Andrew. Her best friend, her only friend, the one person she had. The one person she could trust. He wouldn't just… use her like this. She felt tears well up in her eyes, subsequently blurring her vision, and so she snapped her head to the other side, away from him.**_

 **He wouldn't…**

 _ **"May… Please, stop…" Andrew pleaded and when she didn't look at him, he quickly made his way to the other side of the bed. "I'm sorry it has to be this way… I'm so sorry…"**_

 _ **Maybelline shut her eyes tightly, feeling tears slide down her cheeks.**_

 _ **"You could've just told me…" she whispered thickly, refusing to look at him. "I would've… helped you…"**_

 _ **"I know you would have." He placed his hand over her wrist. "I know that."**_

 _ **"Then why?!" Maybelline bit her lips and tried to release herself from the restraints one more time. "Why the hell did you do this?!"**_

 _ **Glaring at Andrew with eyes full of tears, she saw him smile mirthlessly.**_

 _ **"Don't you get it yet?" he chuckled, but there was no sign of humor in his voice. "I drugged you, dragged you here and restrained you against your will. You had absolutely**_ **nothing** _ **to do with this."**_

 _ **Maybelline stared at him in shock, taking it all in. And the worst thing was that it all made a perfect sense. Of course, Andrew would do something like that… He would do it to keep her clean.**_

 _ **"Don't do this…" Maybelline whispered desperately.**_

 **Don't leave me… Don't leave me here alone, please… not you.**

 **I'm so scared…**

 _ **It almost seemed as if he could read the thoughts right from her eyes.**_

 _ **"I'm sorry," he said one more time.**_

 _ **"They're gonna float you, Andrew. They're gonna…"**_

 _ **"Not until I'm eighteen they won't. I've still got time."**_

 **One year. One shitty year in the Skybox.**

 _ **Maybelline started fighting the restraints again.**_

 _ **"Take them off… Take them off!"**_

 _ **"No," Andrew responded firmly, holding her down with both of his hands.**_

 _ **"Just take them off!" Maybelline cried out in frustration, not giving up. "We can still… We can still do it right."**_

 _ **"No, we can't," he shook his head, determined. "Not you."**_

 _ **"Screw you, you asshole!"**_

 _ **Andrew was now using the weight of his body to hold her fixed in place, yet still had the time to smile and find sedatives in the drawer next to her bed.**_

 _ **"You can't, May," he spoke softly as he pressed the injection in her shoulder and her surroundings started to darken almost instantly. After a few seconds, she no longer had control over her body and her eyes fluttered shut. The only thing left was Andrew's voice, slowly fading away in the distance.**_

 _ **"You're gonna pass the test. No matter what happens, you're gonna make it… You're gonna be free."**_

"What did he do that got him locked up?" Jasper asked again, ready to hear some amazing story.

Maybelline was looking straight ahead at her approaching friend, and in the corner of her eye, she could see Finn stopping in the mid-move and carefully listening.

"He saved a life," Maybelline replied simply.

"It was a little more complicated than that," Andrew spoke up before Jasper could ask for some clarification. "Complicated enough for the legendary Marcus Kane to take me in the Skybox himself! He said he had always seen it coming."

"I think a lot of people saw it coming," Maybelline remarked without missing a beat.

"Oh, I hate that guy," Finn drawled out, sauntering closer to them. "He always looked as if he was born standing at attention. So damn full of himself."

Maybelline got up and left before anyone else could say another word about Kane and she had no doubt they did. Walking towards the dropship, she was trying to push away all the memories of that day. In the span of a few hours, she had lost her father and her best friend.

 _A sort of a quid pro quo situation… Be free of the tyrant, but be alone._

She felt a hand on her shoulder and Andrew turned her around to face his probing pastel eyes.

"Not gonna say anything?" he asked, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

Maybelline looked deeply in his eyes, trying to see past the jovial front he always had up

 _It was his mother._

The timing really sucked but… did it really matter? His mother was dying and he did everything he could to save her - she could hardly blame him for that.

Andrew sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright, this _has_ to stop," he decided suddenly, his voice sounding revitalized. "Our little thing - it's not working. It's time we start talking about things again." _Wow… revolutionary._ "We're gonna chat later, okay?"

"Oh, later, huh?" Maybelline smirked a little. "You're too busy for me right now, is that it?"

Andrew gave her a cocky smile.

"I got places to be, people to meet… you know how it is…"

"Whatever…" Maybelline rolled her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he told her, backing away. "Try not to die before then."

"Don't hold your breath," Maybelline called after him as she watched him jog away.

It wasn't easy and it wasn't without mistakes… but they had gotten this far. The Ark could've been launching any minute now and when they landed… everything was going to change.

xXxXx

Bellamy

Bellamy wasn't as popular among the hundred as he once was, and he was acutely aware of it. His mind, some may even argue his conscience, wasn't giving him an easy go either with all those people whose death he caused haunting his dreams. You couldn't say Bellamy Blake was fighting fit. He needed to do something. Something meaningful that would keep him busy, at least for a while. With his eyes pinned to the sky, of course - he wasn't about to stick around for his own execution.

The food had been running out quickly, especially because the others were expecting the Ark's arrival any day now. The hunt seemed like a perfect choice and finding a few capable people who remained loyal to him wasn't as difficult as he had anticipated, but still… It was him and three other untrained minors with spears and knives. Bellamy didn't feel like putting even more people at risk, and that was how he ended up with Andrew Carlyle as a chaperone.

Bellamy didn't want to go with him, to be honest, he didn't want to be anywhere near that guy. He asked for her, specifically for _her_ , and then Carlyle showed up with 'not happening' written all over his face. Bellamy didn't feel like having an argument, so after the exchange of a few cold words, they all took off. Andrew maybe didn't have the gun, but beggars can't be choosers.

After a while of walking in silence, Bellamy had decided it wasn't that big of a deal anyway. Silence was more than welcome. Bellamy was tracking some large animal to the north, walking at the foot of the mountain while the rest of them trailed after him. In the end, it didn't matter if Carlyle went with them or-

"You're going the wrong way."

Bellamy took a deep breath before twisting around to meet Andrew's arrogant smile.

"I know what I'm doing," he informed him with due arrogance, after all, he had tracked enough animals to keep the hundred fed.

"The boar turned to the left. Right here, see?" Carlyle pointed at the ground, ever so helpful. Dropping his eyes, Bellamy had to admit that the tracks were heading a different way; he had just missed it. "But by all means, go ahead… I'm sure you know best."

Bellamy lifted his eyes and seeing his overconfident face, he just wanted to strangle him right there at the spot. Carlyle might have been smiling, but his eyes were cold and judgmental; it was crystal clear that the redhead despised him and everything he was, just waiting for the opportunity to take a swing - and Bellamy was just in the mood to give him some back.

He took a breath, but before he could say a word, Carlyle cut him off: „Quiet."

His eyes were scanning their surroundings, but in the midst of his irritation, Bellamy wasn't able to comprehend much.

He narrowed his eyes at him.

„Why the hell-"

„Watch out!"

It all happened quickly. Bellamy heard Carlyle's warning, but it was already too late. He turned his head with nothing but pure instinct, spotting a Grounder hiding in the bushes not far from them. His arrow ready and aimed right at him. And Bellamy couldn't do anything anymore, just stand there and watch it all happen.

The arrow came whizzing towards them; fired with such a strength that it went straight through Andrew before its sharp tip scratched Bellamy through his T-shirt, right under his heart. It didn't matter how he got there, he just did and in that moment, time stood still. Bellamy looked into those wide blue eyes filled to the brim with fear, and he could swear he wasn't breathing.

Then Andrew fell down the hillside. Bellamy tried to catch him, but the redhead slipped right through his fingers, landing on his back, the arrow inside of him smashing into pieces. Bellamy finally got himself out of his shock and reached out to pull the arrow out of him, in a sudden hopeless need to fix all this, but Andrew caught his hand, tightly and urgently.

"Tell May…" he rasped, trying to finish the sentence as fast as he could, but his voice broke and there was too much blood in his mouth. "Tell… her…"

Bellamy watched the ever-present gleam in his eyes just disappeared as if it had never even been there, feeling the fingers around his hand loosen. Andrew's head fell to the side, and he just stayed like that, staring into nothing.

* * *

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